The Etrian Odyssey 3 Travelogue
by Pureauthor
Summary: The Yggdrasil Labyrinth of Armoroad is a vast, unconquered place. Many have come to try their luck and skill against the Labyrinth's myriad dangers. These are the writings of one such guild that has risen to the challenge.
1. First Arrival

Hi, everyone. Before we get started, I'd like you to go click the link in my profile, since that has profiles for all the characters that will end up showing in the story.

* * *

Entry One

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**Jules**

Third day in Armoroad, and I still have absolutely no idea how to go about this adventuring business. To be perfectly honest I still have no idea what I'm doing here. According to Alexis I stumbled up to the statue of the Goddess and shouted out a declaration to conquer the Yggdrasil Labyrinth (was there any specification it being the Armoroad one? I think we have at least five of those in Imperial Territory alone) and to bring back trophies from seven fearsome beasts, at least three of which are widely considered to not exist at all.

At least Alexis is handling most of the administrative trivia of things. I had no idea she knew so much about all this miscellaneous stuff; I really don't know where I'd be without her.

Don't tell her I said that, though.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 12th of the month of the Silver Lion, on the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire.

It appears Armoroad and the surrounding locales keep an entirely separate calendar from ours. Hardly surprising, but all the same, rather inconvenient. I should have expected adjustments coming into this town after all, especially it looks like we'll be spending a significant amount of time here.

In any case, I've made contact with the head of the Explorer's Guild in Armoroad, and we've managed to hammer out some of the details concerning the creation of a new guild. With any luck there should be several new recruits worth signing up soon. I'm not foolish enough to think we'll stand any chance of challenging the Labyrinth without a fully party of good warriors.

I just hope his Majesty keeps his head about him. This is easily the most daunting task he's ever faced (and if I'm going to be candid, it's probably going to be the most daunting task he'll ever face, period), but he doesn't seem aware of that fact yet. I can only hope the Goddess' favour goes with us.

(X)


	2. One Last Night of Quiet

Entry Two

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 13th of the month of the Silver Lion, on the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire.

Well, we've set up our guild and we've entertained our first few claimants. Most of them were turned away, of course, but we've managed to recruit four people who look relatively trustworthy. Our first foray into the Labyrinth is at first light tomorrow – I dearly hope it all goes well.

(Reminder to myself: Have to tell his Majesty to stop ordering the most expensive meals whenever we eat our dinner. As a matter of fact we should probably start patronizing the cheaper eateries the city has to offer anyway.)

* * *

**Rook**

One week after hanging up the flag on the St. Eris and becoming an explorer, and I haven't really done much exploring at all yet. Of course that's set to change soon – heading in tomorrow at dawn. I've heard stories about monstrous cats that can swallow a man whole even at the top floor. Heh. Monstrous. They want to talk monsters, they should take a look at some of the beasties out in the sea.

Anyway, the chick with the spear seems to know what she's doing (I have no idea how she moves about in that armour, though) so I guess I'm in as good hands. Won't know for certain until we head down tomorrow, of course. The proof of the pudding is in the tasting and all that.

The girl with the knife that joined us seemed kinda nervous. Like she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do with herself. Hope she knows how to handle herself down there. The other two didn't talk much, so I dunno, but they look like they've seen their share of action before.

Best get myself an early night.

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Excited

Yes! Finally reached Armoroad. After getting stuck in that cramped, smelly ship for two weeks I just about burst from happiness just from setting foot on dry land again. _Really_ didn't help that they didn't even have deck space to practice my katas on! You can only go through your meditation exercises so many times, you know!

Master told me to take things slowly and all as usual, but he's one to talk when he managed to get us signed up into a Guild the first day of arrival. 'S far as I can tell they're as green as we are and haven't even set foot into the maze yet. So much the better! Don't wanna get shown up by a bunch of veterans on our first day down there, after all.

The Prince guy Jules' supposed to be the one in charge, but his knight's the one handling all the busy work. I guess I can relate – Master's always getting me to do all his menial chores while he takes his naps (Man, I hope he doesn't read this without me knowing), but I hope the guy doesn't turn out to be totally useless. Last thing we need is for our leader to a freerider.

I thought about hitting the mat, but Master isn't back yet and I figured it'd be a good idea to wait for him. Man, I hope he hasn't lost his way again – he was never too good at directions, and Armoroad's a pretty big place. Maybe I should go look for him?


	3. The First Foray

Entry Three

* * *

**Jules**

Well.

That.

That was certainly an experience.

To be absolutely honest, I hadn't quite expected getting hurt to, well… hurt this much.

Our initial foray into the forest went along smoothly enough, I suppose. At any rate, we were able to create a decent enough map to satisfy the guards that we weren't going to get ourselves killed the instant we took a step further into the Labyrinth. We were in relatively high spirits then, which might serve to explain why we allowed ourselves to be ambushed by one of the forest's denizens.

I've heard tales and warnings about the Great Lynx going in, but facing one in battle was a new experience, and one I'm not keen on repeating. We were able to defeat it, of course, but having my arm broken in the process is something I do not feel is an acceptable tradeoff.

The monk (Geoffrey, I believe his name was) has had a look at it, and I'm feeling better – hopefully once Alexis returns with the medicine I sent her to buy it'll stop hurting like the dickens.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 14th of the month of the Silver Lion, on the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire.

His Majesty went and got himself wounded in our very first foray into the Labyrinth. As much as I'd like to blame his own carelessness (and believe me, he was most definitely careless), this also reflects on my failings as his guardian. I shall have to do better in the future. At least we've been accepted by the local rulers as an official Guild and should be able to progress unimpeded.

Of course, I acknowledge that it would be a much easier task had I access to the royal armouries before we'd set out on our journey, but I suppose I must make do with the equipment we have on hand. That, or purchase better a better set, although the prices in this city seem awfully exorbitant. When I'd questioned the proprietor of one of the local firms, she'd simply shrugged and told me that it was simple supply and demand – if I wasn't willing or able to pay for her stock, plenty of other people would.

At least she gave me a tip that many firms in the city would be willing to pay money for materials that can only be found in the Labyrinth, including hers. I'm not overjoyed at the prospect of serving as a labour force for people like the storeowner, but I'll do what I must. Perhaps I should seek out some people who know the Labyrinth well enough to help me harvest its bounty?

* * *

**Midori**

Wow, the inside of the Labyrinth was so _pretty_! I dunno what I was really expecting when I first set foot inside there, but there were flowers and waterfalls all over the place! I was so busy admiring the scenery I almost didn't notice when some fish jumped out of the water to attack me.

Although… are fish supposed to be able to fight when outside of the water? I asked Rook (he's the pirate guy) about it, and he told me that while it wasn't that common, he'd seen monsters fight like that out in the ocean too. And in the Labyrinth, all bets are off, or so he says.

So later, after the fighting, when we cleaning the blood off our blades, he asked me how many I'd manage to kill off. I think I'd managed four, and told him as much. And then he told me he'd finished off five! Ugh, his fighting style with that sword of his is so clumsy, how could be better at it than me?

All right, I'm going to have to train harder so I can beat him tally the next time we both enter the Labyrinth. And the sooner I can figure out a way to deal with those giant cats, the better too. One of them jumped us and it could have gotten really messy, but we managed to finish it off before it did too much damage. Our leader got a broken arm, though. Hope it doesn't take too long to heal – wanna go down and see what else is down there!

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Bored.

Man. Had to sit out their first trip into the Labyrinth, and there was nothing to do the whole day but train. Master came back covered in blood, although most of it wasn't his, and when I asked him about it he just told me that the stories of the Labyrinth had not been exaggerations.

If Master's saying something like that, the monsters down there must be really something. I can't wait to get down there and see it for myself!


	4. Money Matters

Entry Four

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**Rook**

I heard that the Guild could run into a spot of money trouble, and I was thinking about how to help them out with that, seeing as how I'm a part of it now and all, and I think I've hit on an idea.

The St. Eris is still plenty seaworthy, so if we take her out for a big we should be able to nab some fish to hawk off in the markets. Of course upkeep costs won't be light, but if I have a talk with Old Man Mueller down by the port he might he might be willing to waive some of our fees (I dunno if bringing up the Arslan bunch would hurt our help my case, though. Heh.)

Guess I'll bring it up to Alexis and see what she says.

Also, caught sight of the ninja girl practicing her knifework in the back lot of the inn. I dunno, her style just seems really... rigid. Eh, she handled herself just fine yesterday, so I shouldn't worry too much. Time to go see Alexis about the St. Eris.

(X)

Welp. Turns out Alexis hired a kid who's been in the Labyrinth before and knows how to gather the plants and minerals they have tucked away in there. Kid's asking for a heck of a lot as compensation, though. I'm not sure if it'll really be worth the cost in the end, but heck, we'll see if it pans out!

Talked to Alexis about using the St. Eris to haul in fish and sell off. She got kinda quiet and asked if it would involve going out to sea. Not the sort of question you'd expect from someone who's usually on the ball as she is, so I just sorta raised my eyebrows and said 'Yeah?'

She told me she'd think about it. Oh well, nothing much else to do, and based on the roster down by the Guild I'm sitting out tomorrow's Labyrinth dive, so maybe I ought to go find a nice café with a view of the ocean and have myself a nice drink or ten.

* * *

**Pure**

Today's Profits: 17 En

SCORE! Just got hired by a newbie Guild to help them gather stuff. Managed to haggle them into paying me _twice_ the market rate for a hired Forager! I'm going to make a _killing_ on all this.

This Guild's as green as can be, too, so that means they won't even be asking me to venture any lower than the 2nd floor. Looks like I'll be able to lie cushy for a while – just as long as I keep an eye out for the Largebills and Great Lynxes, gathering enough stuff to placate my bosses should be a snap!

Hm, they're calling me now. Guess I'll finish my diary later.

(X)

They told me that they fully expect me to pull my weight in battle down there. And I couldn't even argue with them about it because my rates were high enough to be counted as that of a hired warrior. I could've told them that I quit, but the spear the lady was holding was _very_ sharp.

I think I need to go lie down. Either that or calculate how much it's going to take to skip town entirely.

…

More than my entire life savings.

I am so dead.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 15th of the month of the Silver Lion, on the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire.

Good news and bad news, I suppose. I've managed to add a local farmer to our guild. The downside is that I'd trust him about as far as I can throw the Golden Throne. The boy honestly believed I'd failed to do any prior research on the hiring rates for Labyrinth foragers and tried to scam me in the most ham-fisted manner possible.

Honestly, I would've dropped him immediately, but Jules told me to sign him on as a full warrior, claiming that he had a good feeling about this one. It's not the first time his Majesty's had a sudden flash of intuition, but honestly they tend to blow up in his face as often as they turn out for the better, so I can't say I'm not wary.

In other news, Rook's offered to loan us out his ship to take on fishing expeditions. Of course, that'll involve water, which I am not particularly comfortable with. I told him I would think about it – since we have Pure, I doubt our monetary concerns should be severe enough that we'll need it, but I should keep our options open.

In any case, our second venture into the Labyrinth is tomorrow. I should get myself a good rest.

* * *

**Jules**

Oh man. Rook came up to me with the idea of using a ship for fishing trips and all that. I'm all for it, except that Alexis becomes a nervous wreck whenever we're out at sea. I've seen it with my own eyes and I can still hardly believe how someone normally as calm and composed as her can degenerate into such a blubbering mess the instant a wave rocks our ship.

Of course I can't in good conscience put Alexis in such a situation so I told him to belay that idea. Maybe if we hire more people we'd have enough to crew the ship without Alexis getting involved then we can open up that avenue of discussion again.

That aside, I wonder what I should get for my dinner today. I've been picking up tips from the locals, and I've heard that an eatery down by the edge of town serves an excellent lobster bisque. I suppose I'll drop by and see for myself.


	5. This and That I

Entry Five

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: All fired up!

All right! Today was my first Labyrinth venture! I paired up with that knight lady and we scouted ahead of the others to find a way down into the second floor. Along the way we fought off a bunch of frogs. I was doing okay until one of them jumped at me from behind. It didn't hurt _too_ bad but I ended up getting knocked into a stream and getting a lecture on watchfulness from Master when I managed to drag my way out again.

Yeah, that was kinda embarrassing, but I totally made up for it later when we got into a fight with _tw_o of those giant cats! Everyone else was talking about how tough they were, but I managed to handle one of them all by myself!

_And_ with Master's healing backing me up, of course. All those cuts the Lynx gave me could have been nasty if Master hadn't been on hand to patch me up afterwards. And of course he wouldn't stop grumbling about this being why I was supposed to learn healing abilities. Maybe I better master some healing basics so he'll get off my case about it?

Master's gone out again to the Bistro down by the town's edge. Wonder why he spends so much time there. Maybe I should follow him next time? It would be a good idea to get a better feel for the town in general.

* * *

**Pure**

Today's profit: 253 En

It's been three hours since I set foot into that damnable Labyrinth and I _still_ can't stop shaking. It wouldn't be quite so bad if a horde of those ravenous, flesh eating _beasts_ hadn't jumped at me from behind and then sought _me_ out as their primary target! What business do frogs have with wanting to eat human flesh, anyway? They're _frogs_!

At least I was able to point out when that Prince guy was about to stuff his face with some poison sprouts that it would be a _bad_ idea. I think the female knight was busy facepalming at that. And I found a good spot to gather stuff that's not _too_ far in, so that was a bonus.

After the dive into the Labyrinth the knight asked me to follow her with the goods to one of the local firms, completely ignoring my arguments that the damage I had sustained during our trek meant that I had to go back and recuperate. The woman's a slavedriver, I tell you.

Anyway, I got my first cut of the pay for helping them with today's expedition. I think I'm going to find a nice little bar that doesn't care how old I am and drink the _traumatizing_ and _horrible_ memories of today out of my head.

* * *

**Midori**

Oh.

Oh, wow. I'm kinda not sure how to talk about what happened today.

Okay, so Rook and I were just walking around talking (mostly about which of us was better at fighting, but that still counts as talking, right?) about how which of the two of us had the better sword technique when we nearly collided into a dark hair girl rushing past us.

Anyway, she was kinda… I dunno. Jumpy. I apologized for bumping into her, but I don't think she really heard me. Based on the way she was kitted up, I think she was a fighter of some sort, but also definitely not part of any standard military force. Anyway, Rook just made this offhand comment about there being no rush and the Labyrinth not going anywhere, and I dunno if I'm able to read people or what, but it was like a light went on in that lady's head.

She asked us if we were explorers, and when I confirmed that she asked to meet our leader. Well, Prince Jules was in the Labyrinth right then so we asked her if she didn't mind waiting. In any case, she needed to go register with the Explorer's Guild first, and so we sent her on her way. Dunno why she was so eager to join up with us without knowing anything, but it takes all sorts, I guess.

Anyway, later Rook and I settled down at a restaurant and got to talking about why we want to explore the Labyrinth. Rook told me that he always liked adventure and excitement, but being a privateer was starting to rub on him a little too much, so that's why he decided to become an explorer instead.

As for myself, I don't really know why I'm so eager to explore the Labyrinth. I think I remember something about blue. And red. Blue and red, but I'm not sure what it meant. Thinking too long about it makes me feel queasy inside, so I try not to.

I'm scheduled to be part of the exploring party tomorrow, so I'd better rest up!

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 16th of the month of the Silver Lion, on the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire.

We've successfully discovered the entrance to the second level. Tomorrow we'll take out first steps in.

His Majesty nearly took a bite out some random flora he found lying about in the Labyrinth. If it hadn't been for Pure warning him that those were poisonous, I shudder to think of what would have happened. He still behaves as if this whole expedition is some sort of lark and I don't know how to impress the gravity of our task on him.

Dear Goddess, please grant me the strength and insight I need.


	6. Brevity

Entry Six

* * *

**Jules**

Fucking green birds.


	7. New Recruits I

Entry Seven

* * *

**Rook**

Well, that was a wash. We got our asses handed to us by a giant bird and had to beat a hasty retreat. Most of us got at least a few bruises out of the bargain, but Midori ended up getting laid flat when the darn thing rammed straight into her. I ended up having to haul her back out of the place and forking over the cash for her treatment back at the inn.

That aside, really gotta wonder how we're supposed to make any headway when they've got beasties like that crawling all over the place. I don't doubt that we could figure out some tricks to take that thing down given enough time, but _man_. Everything I've heard about the Labyrinth tells me it's just going to get tougher the further down we go.

And here I thought a life on the sea had toughened me up. Heh. Guess I'll just have to work even harder to earn my coin.

Right, no time to keep writing on and on about this. Gotta get out there and get to training.

* * *

**Sidney**

All right. I've made my decision.

For as long as I can remember, I see a steady stream of adventurers heading in and out of the Labyrinth every day. From almost as long as I could read or write, I learnt that Armoroad was once a glorious and grand nation, and that if only we could rediscover the Deep City, we'll return to our former heights.

I've talked to mum and dad about it, and well, they're not too happy. As expected, I guess. Can't expect them to be overjoyed at their only daughter going off to exploring some dangerous Labyrinth that no one's conquered in a hundred years. But I can't hack being a merchant like dad. I've tried, I've honestly tried, but all the numbers get jumbled up in my head and I have no idea what I'm supposed to do when I look at an accounts sheet. I've always been hardier than other girls, and I'm pretty good with a bow – so I guess this is the only way I can really contribute to Armoroad's future.

I hear there's been an influx of new Guilds recently, and they're recruiting. I guess I should go look around and see if any of them are willing to take me in.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 18th of the month of the Silver Lion, on the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire.

The beasts in the second floor of the stratum are definitely a cut above the ones at the highest level. I was waylaid by several prawn-like creatures, only they had claws for some reason. By the time I had finished dealing with those, the rest of the group had been ambushed by a large green avian. Although I arrived too late to contribute much to the battle, I have to admit that I do not believe that I would have succeeded in turning the tide of battle regardless. The creature simply outmatched us.

Conversations with the locals have revealed that these 'Largebills' are active only during the day, so if we venture in during the night we should have better luck. Still, that is only a temporary solution – we have no choice but to get stronger in order to deal with the myriad threats that the Labyrinth presents.

On a happier note, today I received two applicants for entry into our guild. I've looked over them and both appear to be worthwhile additions. 'Clay' (obviously an alias. I shall have to look into that later) is a warrior, apparently skilled with a mace, and Alice Marguerite is the daughter of one of the merchant houses in Armoroad (she wishes to be called 'Sidney' for some reason. I have no reason to refuse that request, of course), and she's a skilled bowfighter. Of course, her bow is unlike any other I've ever seen. When I questioned her about it, she shrugged and told me that it was standard in Armoroad.

That done, I need to see a medic and get myself treated for the wounds I've sustained. I'll follow the local's advice and attempt a night expedition later.

* * *

**Clay**

I'm safe. For now. I think.

How long has it been since I escaped from that place? A month? Maybe two. Shit, I was so concerned with running I didn't get to keep a good track of the dates. Why in the nine hells that bastard kept sending so much men after me I don't know. You'd think they'd have gotten the message after I bashed in the third guy's head in.

Anyway, hooked up with a exploration Guild. These places are stuffed to brim with warriors of all stripes so I shouldn't stand out too much. Plus, I'll be surrounded by other fighters who'll be inclined to protect me and won't like outsiders poking noses in their business.

So I should be fine… for now.

The guild I've joined is supposed to be led by a prince. Probably a lazy bastard like the rest of his lot. The knight doing the actual work seems competent enough, but there's a look in her eyes I don't quite like.

Shit. Now I'm wondering if I hooked up with the right group.

* * *

**Jules**

Pain is becoming an unwanted constant in my life. I suppose I should ask why birds include biting as a method of offense when they quite clearly do not have any teeth, but that's somewhat secondary to the point that it bit me on the leg when it exploded from the bushes, leaving me incapacitated for the rest of the fight.

Not that it was much of a fight, to be honest. Alexis was preoccupied dealing with some clawed shrimps, and for some reason, its down was durable enough that Rook and Midori had trouble wounding it. Eventually we managed to drive the creature away, but we were unable to kill it, and of Midori got knocked out in the course of the fight. Between Rook and Adrian, they carried her off while I had to lean on Alexis to make our way out. Luckily there were no monsters to fight on our way out – Alexis was looking pretty flushed by the time we made it back to the safety of our town.

On the other hand, I've been informed that we have two more people in the Guild, and that both of them apparently know their way around a ship. That means we'll be able to staff the St. Eris without Alexis getting involved. I'll need to have a talk with Rook later.

For now though, the game plan is to enter the Labyrinth at night to avoid the green birds. I'm not too sure on that, since I've heard that some manner of insect roams the Labyrinth's upper floors at night. Well, I supposed we'll have to see for ourselves.


	8. Night Trek

Entry Eight

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 19th of the month of the Silver Lion, on the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire.

His Majesty has taken several of our crew out to see in order to see if it's a viable method for earning money. I would have gone along with him, but he insisted that he would be fine on his own. We both know that he was just trying to protect me from having to go out onto a boat. I can't afford to let my personal hang-ups get in the way of protecting his Majesty. I'll have to do better next time.

For now, though, I've led the others into a Labyrinth at night. As expected, we didn't run into any of the green birds, and we've managed to do a fair bit of exploring. We met a strange girl who pointed us to a campsite in the area, so that's where we are now, recuperating after a trek.

Another thing of note is a swordsman we ran into warning us about several of the strongest monsters in the stratum. Apparently giant lizards roam the second floor, and they have poisonous bites. We would do well to avoid them, I suppose. There truly is no end to the number of dangers the Labyrinth poses.

We've determined to set out again after an hour or so's rest, before the sun rises and the Largebills start showing up again. Hopefully we can discover the entrance to the third level before too long.

* * *

**Rook**

Man, never thought I'd miss the ocean so much! Couple of minutes after we cast off and it's like I never left the seas at all.

Of course, I did it with a bunch of green landlubbers in tow, so most of the day was spent making sure they didn't scuttle the St. Eris the instant we set out of port. His Royal Fanciness also surprised me a good bit – he managed to handle himself fairly well and also keep the ship running. The girl with the bow though – Sidney – she claims to have been on a ship before but you couldn't tell by the way she runs things. 'S far as I'm concerned, that she didn't fall off the side of the boat is a small miracle in and of itself. Clay did her work well enough, but there's some sort of intense look in her eyes that gives me the creeps.

Anyway, since we were in no condition to deal with any of the seas' somewhat more severe conditions, we spent most of the day in the coastal waters nabbing fish. Turned in a decent haul, even if I do say so myself, between that and Farmer we shouldn't have to worry overmuch about cash for a bit.

I did catch sight of his highness looking at the lighthouse. Apparently he's heard the stories about the bird up top. When he asked me about it I told him all the horror stories about how the bird wrecks any ship that approaches it from the east.

"Then it doesn't destroy ships that come from the west?" he asked me.

"No need," I laughed. "The currents there do that for it. There's a reason the lighthouse was built, after all."

But now I don't half wonder if I planted some dumb idea into his head to figure out a way to approach the lighthouse. Eh, he's not taking the St. Eris to sea without my say so, so he'll have to run any funny ideas through me first.

Right now though, I stink of fish more than usual. The others are apparently pulling an all-night in the Labyrinth itself. Well, good for them. I'm gonna see if I can't get the smell of fish guts out of my clothes.

* * *

**Pure**

Today's Profit: 0 En (I'm stuck in the bloody Labyrinth overnight. How am I supposed to sell _anything_?)

The Labyrinth _sucks_. Alexis _sucks_. Giant centipedes _suck_. Giant lizards with poison fangs _suck_. Giant platypi with poison _tails suck_.

And here I am in the almost pitch darkness _surrounded_ by dozens of these things! (Okay, I'm not surrounded by dozens of Alexis's but you know what I mean.) Whose bright idea was it to make a midnight excursion, anyway? I swear, I took two steps down into the second level and I got jumped by like three of the platypi things! When later I mentioned how everything in this wretched place seems to keep gunning for me to the redhead monk that Alexis had assigned to guard me, she just grinned and said that maybe they could smell my fear.

Well ex_cuse_ me for being afraid when I'm surrounded by ravenous creatures that could tear poor defenceless me apart! Alexis can walk around in those foot-thick armour plates of hers, all I have is the shirt on my back! And it's not even a very good one! (It also got torn when I was busy running from some clawed shrimp. Seriously, clawed shrimp. What perverse, sadistic god thought _that_ was a good idea? Anyway, need to remind myself to get it mended.)

Well, on what bright side there is, I found another harvesting spot. Got some flowers out of the deal, and if I don't miss my guess these are the _Valio_ flowers they process for Nectar up top. I should be able to turn a decent profit out of these things when I sell them. If I live long enough to sell them.

Sorry if the handwriting's a little shaky, but I keep getting distracted by the monk's yells. Seriously, we trek for several hours, and when we finally get to plop down for a break she spends her time doing backflips and practice kicks. Doesn't she _ever_ get tired? And we're going to be heading off in about an hour's time. Maybe I should get some shuteye while I can.

* * *

**Clay**

Not quite what I had in mind when I signed up for an exploration guild, I have to admit. Still, a day out at sea on a private boat (meaning I don't have to watch my back for more of that man's hired goons) wasn't half bad.

Spent the day hauling in fish. Not a big fan of fish, myself, but we're selling them, not eating them, so I guess I can't complain. Prince Fancypants proved her wasn't totally useless, too. Colour me surprised.

Anyway, after the day's activities I spent some time at the head Guild, taking a look at what the other people there are like. Some of them were easy to peg as glory hounds, others mostly did it because it was a living, and others went into the Labyrinth because they had nowhere else to go.

Like me.

Shit. I need to stop getting musey and crap. Doesn't do anyone any good. You know what, I'm turning in early. Nothing better to do.

* * *

**Midori**

I'm going to have to remember to thank Rook later. He was the one who carried me out of the Labyrinth after I got knocked out, and he also paid for my treatment. Unfortunately by the time I came around he'd already went out to sea and I was supposed to enter the Labyrinth with Alexis.

Anyway, a night dive's all well and good, but there's all sorts of creepy crawlies in the Labyrinth at night! Like this gigantic centipede that tried to sneak up on the party. Luckily we spotted it in time and we were able to kill it without anyone getting seriously injured. But still. Giant bugs. Icky. Aside from that, we also have to steer clear of giant lizards in the area.

And did I mention the _mud_? There's huge mud pools everywhere and they take forever to cross. I mean, I can hop up on the tree branches and cross that way, but the others have to make their way through on foot. We didn't actually go through any of the mud patches today, but I can tell we're going to have to, sooner or later. (Haha, wonder what Master Jules would say about that! He'd probably _freak_.)

Anyway, I was thinking up ways to deal with those giant birds for our inevitable rematch, and I think I'll practice my knife throwing once I get the free time. If I coat the knives in a soporific substance I _should_ be able to knock the bird out, and once that's done it'll make an easy kill. That, or I could tie it's shadow to the ground to prevent it from running, but at this point I'm more worried about _us_ running. Heh.

Oops, Alexis is calling for us to resume our trek. Guess I'll finish this later.


	9. This and That II

Entry Nine

* * *

**Jules**

Alexis returned with her group from the Labyrinth early this morning, just before the sun rose. When I asked her about how it went down there she simply shrugged and told me that it could have been worse. Anyway she also managed to pick up a request to find them some kid who got himself lost in the place. I guess doing favours isn't going to hurt anybody.

Aside from that, I've been talking to people at the docks, and there should be a way to reach the back of the lighthouse. I'll have to go talk to Rook about loaning his ship out for a quick excursion one of these days.

All right, that's enough talk about work. I heard that a restaurant near the Senatus building serves an excellent fish curry. I'll go talk to Alexis about whether or not she wants to join me for dinner tonight.

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Infuriated.

Ugh. I finally found out why Master spends so much time down at the Bistro. There's a bartender there named 'Missy' and hers are the biggest I've ever seen! And her dress barely covers them up! Does she feel no shame at all?

Bah. Master can do what he wants. It's not my problem. I need to be prepared for our next Labyrinth trip. I want to go inside there for some training, but I'm not so stupid as to do it alone. I'm not sure who to ask to come with me, though. The knight girl always seems super busy.

Maybe the ninja girl? Or the girl with the crossbow? Come to think of it, I haven't talked to either of them very much so far. Maybe I should go say hi to them, see if they want to grab a bite or something.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 21st of the month of the Silver Lion, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

We continue to be bogged down my miscellaneous requests. In addition to the Astrologer in the second floor asking us to keep an eye out for one of her guildmates, one of barmaids in a local eatery has set several tasks upon me as well, all helpfully provided by the local populace.

I _could_ turn these requests down, but I've been assured that the rewards will be more than worth it. I suppose I shall have to see for myself. At any rate, the first of these tasks is to help the barmaid herself with collecting ingredients for a new dish.

Not exactly the sort of tasks I thought I would be carrying out when I was sworn in as an Imperial Knight, I have to admit. Then again I never expected to have to set foot inside the Labyrinth, or indeed, Armoroad itself, at all.

In other news, Pure's foraging abilities have managed to net us a tidy sum of money. I suppose for all his faults, he's good enough at his work. He just requires the proper motivation, even if said motivation involves threats of physical violence to get him to cooperate. His Majesty's taken the chance to invite me to dine at one of the more ostentatious restaurants near the heart of the city. It's an unnecessary expense, but given our recent haul I suppose I can let him indulge himself. I haven't the heart to tell him that most of the gourmet cuisine in this city turns my stomach. Regardless, I suppose spending some time with his Majesty when we're not in a combat setting should be pleasant enough.

* * *

**Midori**

Note to self: Never, never _never_ try the senpuku jutsu in Aman's Inn again.

My poor head.


	10. Training Session I

Entry Ten

* * *

**Geoffrey**

Thought of the Day: Altruism is its own reward.

Aided someone today.

He wanted a resting spot.

I found one for him. In the Labyrinth.

It was sunny there. No monsters.

Got rewarded for it.

Passed the money to Dame Alexis. Have no need of it myself.

Adrian has ventured into the Labyrinth with a friend to train.

Attempts to dissuade her did not succeed.

She returned bearing several wounds. A cursory examination showed that at least three of them had the potential to be life threatening.

Note to self: Look through Adrian's Training Regimen. May no longer be sufficiently challenging for her in her current state.

* * *

**Sidney**

Monsters killed today: 3

Items collected: Red Scale x 1, Mountain Claw x 1

Ow. My whole body hurts right now, but who really cares! My first Labyrinth dive, and it worked out great!

Of course we weren't really trying to go in deep, we were just hanging around near the entrance and fighting some monsters to toughen ourselves up. Adrian invited me along, and I thought it would be a good idea to get a feel for Labyrinth diving.

The first encounter was with a couple of fish and we handled it easily enough that Adrian got bored and said she wanted to show me one of the tougher beasts that roam the place. And that's how we got into a fight with one of the Great Lynxes, and why Adrian is currently in the infirmary. To her credit, she was doing a good job until the beast managed to clamp down on her leg, but that also gave me the opening I needed to shoot it through the stomach.

Anyway, I was told to collect scraps from the monsters after the battle so I could sell it off. Do they really keep hauling in bits of dead carcasses to sell? Our maritime trade is usually based around less… um, dead goods. Like spices and crops. But then again we deal with a lot of fish too, and I guess conceptually it's not so different.

But people don't eat this, do they? Apparently the monsters here are so tough they can use bits of the monsters to make new weapons and armour. I'm not really sure how that works, though.

Anyway, I'll be part of an official Guild venture later tonight, so I better get some rest while I can!

* * *

**Rook**

I was working with Midori about developing a technique where I'll follow up behind one of her slashes and hit her immediately after. It's going to take a bit of timing and teamwork, but I think if we can pull it off we have a real chance of being able to get through an enemy's defences.

Anyway, while we were taking a breather, we got to discussing the clothes she wears. Now I'm not saying I'm some master of fashion design or something, but I really gotta wonder how some bright pink robe thing (is there a correct term for it?) with a floral pattern is good thing to wear into battle and she shrugged and told me it didn't really restrict her movements, so it was good enough. More to the point, she'd been found dumped in a back alley bleeding from several wounds and she didn't have many clothes to her name at all.

Huh. Maybe I could just get her something to wear that might look more practical, I dunno.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 21st of the month of the Silver Lion, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire.

His Majesty remains utterly hopeless with a shield, which wouldn't be quite so damning if I hadn't been the one to tutor him on their proper usage ever since we both came of age. Anyway, we spent the majority of the afternoon practicing with their proper usage and there were several instances where it was all I could do not to scream in frustration. It's not like he doesn't try, but sometimes there just seems to be a mental block preventing him from making any progress.

The oddest part is that in terms of swordplay he is easily my equal, but he doesn't appear to be able to grasp the principles of using a shield effectively. I find it bizarre.

In any case, I halted the training session at five p.m., since it would be best to ensure that we are all well rested before venturing into the Labyrinth. With any luck we'll discover the way to the third floor tonight.

Note to self: Try to find more of those frogs to kill and skin for the barmaid.[


	11. Mud

Entry Eleven

* * *

**Jules**

Well, the good news is that we've discovered the entry point to the third level of the Labyrinth.

The not so good news is that the third level is apparently populated with extremely territorial hippos, and one spent the better part of ten minutes chasing us around what we later discovered was its nest.

The worst news is the damnable mud that we had to slog through all over the place to get anywhere. Every last one of us was positively drenched in muck by the time we got out of that place again.

Remind me to talk to Alexis about improving my leadership qualities again. I get the feeling a lot of us were pretty demoralized after getting chased around by a giant hippo, and as leader I should be doing something to keep their spirits up.

Also I need to check up on those sea routes later tonight when I have the time.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 21st of the month of the Silver Lion, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire.

Managed to collect enough frog pieces to hand over to the bartender. As a reward she entrusted me with a couple of tents. I suppose they'll prove useful down the line if we end up spending the nights in the Labyrinth more often.

Also ran into a crab-like creature with an incredibly hard shell. Slaying two of them took far longer than it should have, even with all five of us hacking away at the thing. I recall some of my peers back in the Empire mastered the ability to channel lightning through their spears – perhaps that would give me an edge in dealing with these foes. And in the meantime, I believe that purchasing a better set of gear would behove me.

The two newest hires, Clay and Sidney, handled themselves reasonably well in our first trek together. However, Clay has a tendency to ignore orders in the heat of the moment (such as during our unfortunate encounter with a rather territorial hippopotamus). I'll have to keep an eye on her.

* * *

**Clay**

Well my first Labyrinth expedition was a big stinking pile of bollocks. We've got enemies with shells hard enough that my mace just bounce off 'em, giant frogs that jump out at you from bloody nowhere, giant hippos that even I'm not dumb enough to take on, the muddy hellhole all over the place, and of course Prince Useless and his loyal lapdog giving us orders all over the place.

Gotta admit, though, that the knight chick knows how to handle a spear pretty well. Hmph. Fancy drills and parade formations certainly didn't teach her how to do that. She must've been in fights for her life before. Wonder what order she serves under, anyway.

Man. It's too early to get myself tanked. Maybe I'll go scope the city out properly. Need to be sure of any quick escape routes if I need it, after all.

* * *

**Sidney**]

Monsters defeated: 7

Items Collected: Frog Cheek x 1, Slimy Legsx3 , Steel Shell x 1

Yeesh. Cleaning the mud out of my pants took freaking forever. Good thing I made sure my ammo pouches were waterproof before entering the Labyrinth. I haven't fully developed them yet, and I want to make sure they don't go to waste.

Anyway, the third level of the Labyrinth's beautiful. There's a nice clear river winding its way through the place – it almost seems like a good place to take a nap until you get attacked by frogs. Heh. There's also this huge chasm down there, and I think I could hear the roar of the ocean deep below. That's where the legendary Deep City is supposed to be, isn't it?

I'm getting ahead of myself, though. I want to go tell Adrian about what I saw in down there, and after that we're supposed have a training session together. Man, I hope I can keep up with her!

* * *

**Asmodeus**

Time of arrival at this city was approximately fifteen minutes past the third hour of daylight. Have thus far been unable to secure membership with any of the local guilds. I should probably try again tomorrow morning when the office opens up.

Honestly, I don't know why Master Hale wants to research this Labyrinth so badly. Yes, there's documented proof of the Deep City having once existed, but a hundred years underwater in such stormy waters as that of Armoroad should have made proper exploration of the place completely untenable. But for some reason he believes that I'll be able to locate sufficient artifacts for a breakthrough.

Well, I suppose I'll just find a Guild and see. At the very least he won't be able to say I didn't give it a fair shake.

Horoscope: Conflicting elements lie within and before you. Be aware of myriad possibilities.


	12. New Recruits II

Entry Twelve

* * *

**Jules**

I've done it! After talking to the shipmaster down by the docks I've managed to find a safe route to the far end of the lighthouse! After that, I suppose the important question would be slaying the giant bird up there. I'll need to talk to Alexis about whether or not our current group of adventurers will be able to manage things.

I've taken to spending more time by the sea. It's really quite relaxing, and not something that I could experience back in the palace. Speaking of which, I wonder how Isabella and Tristan are faring. My journey out here has certainly been quite the experience, but I can't say I don't miss the comforts of being treated like royalty.

Also, in an attempt to force me to stop spending my money like it was water, Alexis is forcing me to keep track of our Guild's finances. She really can be a slave driver sometimes. (Don't tell her I said that, though.)

Current Amount: 2342en.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 22st of the month of the Silver Lion, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire.

Two more people have been accepted into our Guild.

The first is Asmodeus Frei Varn, a student from the library of Sovelude and an Ice specialist. We've lacked anyone with the ability to attack using magic thus far, so he should be helpful in shoring up our abilities. He has a bit of a standoffish attitude, but I cannot claim to be the most amiable person either.

Melina Koolhaas is another native to Armoroad. She's made several trips to the Labyrinth before, mostly to gather herbs, but never under the auspices of another guild. How we ended up hiring her is a rather fortunate coincidence, but that is a tale for another time. With any luck, having a good role model will inspire Pure to push himself harder as well, although I remain unoptimistic.

His Majesty has come to me with the proposal of slaying the avian that has made its nest at the top of the Skandalia Lighthouse. I honestly do not see the benefits of such an excursion, but I know better than to try to dissuade him from this. However, this will entail me having to endure another sea journey if I am to aid him. (And naturally I _will _be aiding him.)

I shall have to pray to the Goddess for courage and peace of mind tonight.

* * *

**Melina**

Father always told me that one must seize opportunities when they present themselves, and I guess today was as good a demonstration of that as any. Today I was visiting Ms. Edie at her firm to sell some of the roots from the first level of the Labyrinth when a lady knight entered, attempting to sell some of the _Valio_ flowers that can only be found in the second floor or lower. (Oh, I wish I could venture lower so very much, but I simply haven't the strength to do it on my own.)

The thing is, the flowers were of pretty lousy quality. I know it takes some sifting through, but most patches will have at least a couple of good flowers. Anyway, Ms. Edie told Ms. Alexis (that's the knight lady's name, by the way) she couldn't accept subpar ingredients or people would later come complaining to her about the products. It was around then that I piped up, and helped them sort out some of the ones that were still viable. (It becomes easy to spot when you've done this for long enough, actually.)

Apparently this impressed Ms. Alexis enough to start questioning me about whether or not I was affiliated with any of the local exploring Guilds. I didn't think the local Farmer's Union counted, so I told her no.

Long story short, I got hired! Ms. Alexis has even promised to help train me so I could become stronger! Apparently I start work the day after tomorrow. There's also another forager in the guild named Pure. I wonder what he's like – It'll be nice to swap some stories about the Labyrinth.

* * *

**Rook**

His Royal Highness gets it into his head to sail into the lighthouse and _I'm_ the one who has to trawl around to get the supplies we need. Figures, doesn't it?

Oh well. At least I can't fault him for wanting to kill it. That bugger's needed putting down for a long time now, and I hear there're a bunch of other groups who want a piece of him too. I'm supposed to be part of the team making the attack tomorrow, so I'll have to prepare tonight. No drinks at the alehouse; what a crying shame.

Also, I'm going to have to remember to snag some oil to polish my sword with. Maybe that or get a better one – it's getting a trifle notched.


	13. Vs Meregho Saeno, the Heavenly Avian

Entry Thirteen

* * *

**Jules**

We've done it! The bird in the lighthouse is history!

To be honest, the battle was nowhere near as tough as I'd feared. The creature really relied on using the winds to keep people away, and once there the creature's attacks weren't nearly enough to fend us off.

Alexis performed admirably today, charging forward to distract the creature which gave the others the time needed to prepare their assault on it. I half suspect that it was because she'd rather face any number of monsters than getting back onto the boat again, but I'm not dumb enough to mention that to her face. In any case, she was the only one who sustained a serious injury in this fight, getting a nasty wound to her leg.

Tonight we had our first real celebration at our guild at the Butterfly Bistro. Alexis made some remark about wasting money, but you could tell she didn't really mean it. The Harbourmaster rewarded us handsomely for helping to clear out the lighthouse anyway, so it didn't really matter. Celebrating with your colleagues after completing a tough fight is a rather new and exuberant experience.

Well, now that I'm done writing, I should probably visit Alexis in the infirmary. Well, after I calculate the funds that she's so insistent on making me keep track of.

Expenditure on supplies: 50 en

Expenditure on equipment: 250 en

Expenditure on recreation: 200 en

Profit from selling goods: 80 en

Profit from miscellaneous: 500 en

Final profit: 80 en

Total: 2422 en

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Overjoyed

Awesome! Paragon Guild, one. Giant bird, zero!

Today was an awesome battle! When we reached the lighthouse (honestly I was a little worried about all the currents surrounding us but apparently Prince Jules had already helped plot us a path through them. Huh, who knew a prince would know so much about nautical matters) we heard this horrible screeching noise, but we still had to climb the whole thing before the monster showed up and fought us.

Anyway, once it showed up it screamed at us real loud and we had to fight it right there on the aerie. The thing was so big that I was kinda worried a lot of my attacks weren't even hurting it at all – especially when Sidney could just load up her bow and shoot arrows through its body.

I got hit a couple of times by some kind of light attack (I'm not sure how it worked, to be honest.), but I managed to shrug most of it off. And after the fight, when I went to have a look at the thing's nest, I got the shock of my life – I knew the branches it was using. They come from a specific tree to the east, and frankly they're really rare. I wonder why the bird chose these branches specifically.

Anyway, I'm keeping it with me for now – Master says he might be able to use them to make some kind of medicine, so I'll pass these to him later. For now, though, Prince Jules has told us that we're having a celebratory feast at the Bistro. I don't want to be late, so I'd better stop now.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 23rd of the month of the Silver Lion, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire.

I'm currently in the infirmary as I write this, owing largely to a leg wound received by the monster. The fight itself was nothing special, in my estimation. The creature looked impressive, to be sure, but it was not a real threat. I'm aware of the oddness of such a statement being made when wounded, but ultimately that was carelessness on my part.

Anyway, I was able to calm my nerves long enough to perform reasonably well during our journey, much to my relief. His Majesty also appeared more confident in himself there, giving commands that well matched the tempo of battle. Even after such a short time, the challenges we're facing here are inspiring him to grow.

I'm tired now, so I should probably rest and recuperate. We have many more trials ahead of us.

* * *

**Sidney**

Monsters defeated: Meregho Saeno x 1

Items Collected: Slashing Nail X 1, Eastern Branch x 1 (Adrian is keeping ahold of that one)

We defeated the Meregho Saeno! That monster's been giving us trouble for [i]years[/i] and we finally managed to bring it down today! People can start establishing trade routes from the West again!

I'm actually… I dunno, kinda surprised. Not only was I part of the Guild that made a significant step towards Armoroad's recovery, but I was there when it actually happened. I actually helped my city grow stronger in the tangible sense. It's an odd feeling, really.

Oh! Also, Adrian performed admirably out there today! I'm still not the best at reloading my bow quickly, so there was a lot of downtime in between each of my shots. It's a good thing Alexis was there to distract the monster, otherwise it'd have made mincemeat of me. Anyway, Adrian was constantly pummelling the beast – it was barely able to withstand her strikes. I guess having a teacher who's properly trained her really helps. Good for her.

We're currently in the middle of a celebration over our victory, and everyone else is making an incredible racket (except Alexis. She got wounded badly and now she's in the infirmary.) I was never much for rowdiness, but I suppose I could get a drink and chat with some of them. I wonder where Adrian is, though. I didn't see her earlier.


	14. Poison

Entry Fourteen

* * *

**Melina**

Ooh! He makes me so mad!

After the Guild managed to defeat that monster harassing the Lighthouse yesterday, we were sent on a harvesting mission to secure materials to sell off back in the city. Ms. Alexis accompanied us, as well as Mr. Geoffrey and Ms. Clay. The last member of our group was the other forager, Pure.

Well, his behaviour was simply unacceptable! He kept complaining the whole way through about being dragged out of bed at such an ungodly hour. As a forager he should know full well that the strongest of the upper level's denizens are not as active during the night. Rising and setting out early is a basic attempt at protecting the members of the party who aren't very good at fighting – namely, the two of us.

It didn't get much better once we found a patch of several Anra fruits. Pure immediately jabbed his trowel in and started yanking out the first fruits he could find. Every member of the Farmer's Union is told that you have to dig deeper to get to the good quality ones. Anyway, I pointed this out to him and he got this really grumpy expression on his face.

Goodness, if this is the only forager that Ms. Alexis was able to hire before, no wonder she was so eager to sign me on after barely meeting me.

I shall have to start working even harder, then. And perhaps I should do what I can to motivate Pure too. He's responsible for the upkeep of the Guild! How can he possibly have such a lackadaisical attitude?

* * *

**Geoffrey**

Thought of the Day: Unrefined power is worthless.

Ventured into the Labyrinth today.

Primary purpose was gathering materials to sell.

The boy is unmotivated.

The girl tries hard, but is unused to physical rigour.

Both show potential. I shall watch them closely.

Note to self: Draft for new training regimen has been finalized. Show to Adrian and see what she makes of it.

* * *

**Pure**

Today's Profit: 78 en

Oh, bloody heck. Why didn't anyone tell me we were getting another forager? My whole scheme depended on them not having any one to easily compare me to!

To make matters even worse, she's some sort of driven she-demon! She just kept working and offering tips to help me improve my yield when all I wanted to do was gather enough stuff to get by and turn my cash in. She totally humiliated me out there. (And Alexis' constant 'Is that so? That's very interesting' every time Melina opened that big fat mouth of hers _did not help_.)

The put the topper on all of it, when we returned to Armoroad Alexis dragged me off to the side (that woman has a grip of iron, I swear) and told me that from now on my pay would be scaled to the pay Melina gets on the basis on how my performance compared to hers.

Great. Just great. _Nothing_ has gone right for me ever since I joined up with this stupid Guild. Maybe I should just quit. No one would miss me when they have little miss _Perfect_ to gather stuff for them. She actually seems to get her rocks off on doing all that work, so good for her! Who needs little old Pure, anyways!

Of course that's what I'd say if I didn't need a steady job, anyway. Gotta admit, that Alexis is even willing to hire me at all is a heck of a step up from most other jobs I've applied to before.

Nertz.

* * *

**Midori**

Whew!

Today a group of us led by Master Jules entered the second level with the intention of hunting down one of those giant lizard things. We were all fired up from dealing with the giant bird (although I guess I really didn't do that much myself. Heh.) so we decided to take on another one of the tougher monsters.

And we did it! Well, it was a lot more dicey than fighting the giant bird was, but we still succeeded! I gotta say, being able to surprise it during its lunch was a stroke of luck for us. Since Dame Alexis wasn't with us, I was the one who kept the Lizard distracted by creating copies of myself to distract and confuse it.

During the course of the fight, Master Jules ended up getting gashed by one of the lizard's fangs. He told us it was all right at first, but near the conclusion of the battle, he collapsed. Later we discovered that the fangs of that lizard are incredibly poisonous. We were careless, and Master Jules nearly ended up dying because of it (good thing Rook had a stock of Theriacas with him. He said they were past the expiry date, though… I hope there aren't any unpleasant side effects later). Dame Alexis is going to throw a _fit_ once she finds out.

Oh, yeah, this fight was the first time that the astrologer guy… Asmo- something came with us in the Labyrinth. His Ice spells were pretty handy to have around, I have to say. He never said much, though. Just followed orders and killed things.

Wonder if he's upset or something?

* * *

**Jules**

Can't write much.

Everything hurts.

Total expenses: 123 en

Total prof

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 23rd of the month of the Silver Lion, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire.

Found His Majesty passed out in his room in the middle of writing in his journal. After contacting Geoffrey and the inn's physician, I went to question Rook on events that transpired within the Labyrinth.

I distinctly recall warning His Majesty about the poison carried by the lizards on the second floor. At least crisis was averted, but his Majesty won't be ready for more Labyrinth ventures for at least a couple of days. As I sit here by his bedside it's been nearly two hours since Geoffrey finished with his treatment, and he has yet to wake up.

Jules, why do you always have me worried sick about you?


	15. Agata and Hypatia

Entry Fifteen

* * *

**Rook**

Jules still hasn't woken up and Alexis isn't budging from his side, so she assigned me as acting leader while we made our next Labyrinth venture.

Proud to say that I don't think I botched anything up too badly. We ran into more of those crabs with the ridiculously tough shells, but Asmodeus was able to make short work of them – as long as we covered him while he was preparing his spells, of course.

Anyway, after a little while of wandering the third floor we ran into some Ninja kid. Now I know that I'm not exactly the go-to guy from primness and elegance (I guess you'd want Jules for that. Heh.), but 'scruffy' was the first word that came to mind when I saw him. And staying with him for a while didn't do much to change my first impression.

Anyway, he wanted some help with avoiding another of those angry hippo things. Took a bit off work, but we finally managed to avoid the thing and reach the far end of the room. Apparently giant enraged beasts don't deal so well with pillars. Who knew?

Anyway, turns out he was the kid that the Astrologer from last time was looking for. After we told him that his guildmate was looking for him, he apologized and ran off towards the entrance.

Wait, does that mean he's been _living_ in the Labyrinth all this while? No wonder he looks like he hasn't bathed in weeks.

Oh yeah, we found the entrance to the fourth floor. I'll have to pass on the info about that to Alexis later.

* * *

**Asmodeus**

It appears that for now I shall have to put aside the mantle of the scholar in favour of donning the robes of the scholar. The guild I have attached myself to has thus far lacked anyone else versed in the ethereal arts, and I foresee that I shall be called upon more often to deal with physically durable foes.

In any case, I aided them in slaying a pair of crustaceans. That creatures such as these could have metal shells is a feat in and of itself – unfortunately this really isn't my area of expertise. In Anastasia or Gerin were here they'd be able to offer their opinions on such a matter, I don't doubt. After the battle, there was a short lull in which they attempted to dismember certain sections of the beasts in order to sell them off back in the city. A rather distasteful business, I must say.

Later, we encountered a young boy. I don't recall much about the encounter aside from affirming that he had an Astrologer friend who is apparently staying at the same inn as us. That is interesting. Perhaps I should arrange a meeting with her to exchange insight on astrological matters in the future.

Horoscope: Danger lurks in the horizon; not for you, but for one close to you.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 25th of the month of the Silver Lion, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire.

His Majesty woke up around sunset. Predictably, the first thing he asked for was some tea. Fortunately I had anticipated this and prepared a flask for such an eventuality.

He was able to join the others for the evening meal, where we got to hear about how Midori got her robe caught on a branch just as they were ambushed by several frogs, and how Asmodeus was able to deal with the steel crabs without too much effort. He appeared subdued, though, and didn't argue when I suggested he turn in early for the night.

In order news, Rook was able to locate the boy that we had agreed to help look for, and I passed the news on to the astrologer Hypatia. She thanked me profusely for this, and spent some time relating to me how her companion Agata is constantly forcing her to worry about his wellbeing. I suppose I can relate.

Rook has also informed me that he's discovered the entrance to the fourth level. I suppose I'll arrange an expedition once his Majesty has fully recovered.

* * *

**Midori**

Now I need to spring for new clothes. Oh well, it was starting to stink of monster blood no matter how many times I washed it, anyway. Maybe I can talk to Dame Alexis about getting an advance on my next payment?

That Agata kid we met in the Labyrinth knows the same type of skills I do – I'm sure of it. Something about the way he carried himself… Well, I guess it's not a big deal.

I need some sleep now. Getting tackled by frogs is a lot more tiring than you'd think.


	16. This and That III

Entry Sixteen

* * *

**Rook**

Well, all things considered I'd say today turned out to be a pretty good one.

First off. I actually managed to land myself a Tanniyn. Yes, that's right. Got the alert this morning just as Prince Jules and I were preparing to ship out for a fishing trip. (Come to think of it, Jules has really taken an interest to sailing lately. Guess he's found a new hobby.) Guy said he'd reward anyone who could bring him some Tanniyn meat. Ha. As if the cash from selling the thing wouldn't be reward enough.

Anyway, we cast off as soon as possible. Since we'd already been prepping for a launch anyway, we managed to get out ahead of some of the others and head over to where the Tanniyn was supposed to be.

Blasted thing took a lot of killing, but in the end we managed to bring it down and haul it back to the harbour. Got some cheers from the crowd back at harder, which was nice, but not half as nice as the profit we made from selling the meat off at the market later. (Oh, and a couple of Ariadne Threads from the guy who told us about it. That's good too.) Of course by the time it was well into the afternoon, but most of the shops were still open. Long story short, I managed to find Midori and she bought herself some new clothes with the cash we got from the sea beast.

Always feels nice, doing a good deed. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to help myself to a nice drink of ale.

* * *

**Midori**

Today's been a great day! This morning I went out with Adrian, Master Geoffrey and Sidney to the second floor for some training. Anyway, after a while we ran into some of those Gigapedes. We were able to fight them off, and thanks to Master Geoffrey none of us got hurt too badly.

Anyway, as per usual we gathered up some of the scraps left over from the fights and went back to town. We were going to stop by one of the shops to sell it off, but when we passed by the Butterfly Bistro Master Geoffrey said he wanted to make a quick stop there first. Adrian looked pretty grumpy about it, but she didn't object. Anyway, turns out there was a guy there who needed a Gigapede leg! Talk about serendipity.

And later in the day Rook offered to help me go buy some new clothes after my old robe got torn. Said that he'd just lucked into some extra cash out on the seas. I got this dark purple robe with a bright pink floral pattern! And some more mundane kit for when I'm venturing into the Labyrinth, of course. That really was nice of Rook.

Well, I should get some rest. I'm supposed to be part of the expedition for tomorrow into the fourth floor. Wonder what new monsters live down there?

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 26th of the month of the Silver Lion, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire.

His Majesty was feeling much better this morning, enough that he wished to go out on a fishing expedition with Rook. I offered to accompany him, but he pointed out that it would merely be a short journey out and that it wouldn't take too long.

As it turned out, he came back nearly half a day later, towing some manner of giant sea creature behind the ship. I'm given to understanding that its meat makes it popular amongst Armoroad's denizens, but I don't see why His Majesty had to be the one to chase it down.

In other news, my personal training has allowed me to perfect the Voltage enchantment technique with my lance. Due to my lack of affinity with arcane matters, the enchantment should only last long enough for a single attack each time, but it should still come in handy – particularly if we run into more creatures that, for whatever reason, have hides that are nigh-impervious to physical blows.

I've drawn up the roster for tomorrow's Labyrinth venture. _Most_ of our hires bring something unique to the table, and I'd like to see how well different groups of our people can support each other in combat. Tomorrow should be a good testing ground.

* * *

**Sidney**

Monsters killed: Gigapede X 3, Great Platypus X 2, Claw Shrimp x $

Items Collected: Gigapede Leg x 3, Large Jaw x 2, Small Shell x 3

Rrrrgh. I just can't get it to work! What am I doing wrong?

Once I figure out how to make these fire rounds work, clearing out monsters should be a snap. Just one shot, and BOOM! The whole lot of them are gone. But it refuses to activate when I fire it. I tried it out earlier when I went in for a training session, and I'm not proud to say that if Adrian hadn't covered for me after my rounds proved duds, I wouldn't be in any shape to be writing this.

I think I'll pop on down to Ms. Edie's store, see if she still has any of those Fire Jars in stock. In theory the way my fire rounds work should be pretty similar to those jars, so if I analyse it I might be able to figure out what it is I'm doing wrong. Whatever the problem is, I hope I figure it out soon. I don't want to be the third wheel of our Guild.

* * *

**Atahualpa**

This is a good land, with a fine people.

But it is the Labyrinth which I seek, where I shall test my mettle against the mightiest creatures nature has to offer. I hope to venture in with a set of allies, but I shall go alone if I must. The beasts of the forest are my friends, so I am never truly without partners in this enterprise.

Tonight I shall rest in the boughs of this tree. At first light tomorrow I shall wait by the entrance of the Labyrinth, and seek out any who would allow me to accompany them.

Ahul, know that I go to rest thinking of you.


	17. New Recruits III

Entry Seventeen

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Frustrated

Argh! Man, I'm mad! So today we were all geared up and raring to take on the fourth floor on the Labyrinth, right? We even beat up one of those big green birds on our way down as a bit of a preliminary.

And when we get there, we get some arrogant blonde swordsman guy telling us we're not allowed to go any further. What the hell! We're a registered Guild! The Labyrinth's free territory! We can go anywhere we damn well please!

_Anyway_, we had to turn back and go see the Senatus over rights to venture deeper into the Labyrinth or some other bullcrockery. I didn't care too much about that and I needed to blow off some steam, so I went down into the first floor for some quick training. Midori decided to come along too – something about not wanting to lose out Rook.

Well by the time we reached the entrance we met this strange guy in a really funky mask squatting near the entrance, which was only slightly less eyecatching than the elephant idling behind him. I wasn't sure what to make of that. I mean, maybe he was waiting for a friend or something, I dunno, so I was just about to walk on by when he spoke up. First thing we realized was that he didn't speak common languages very well. Eventually we were able to settle on him using a heavily broken form of Fensian, and he communicated that he wished to challenge the Labyrinth.

Well personally I wouldn't have minded others joining us, but of course it's not up to me. So I told him to follow me back to town. The elephant followed us, by the way, and we got some stares over that.

Last I heard of the guy he was talking to Alexis, so maybe we'll have a new party member soon. Master's gone out again (the Bistro, I'll be bound.) so I guess I'll work on this new training regimen he made for me.

I'm not sure where I'm going to find that many clay pots, though…

* * *

**Jules**

Hearing news that far too many explorers have lost their lives before you is always an excellent way to start a new Labyrinth venture. In any case, apparently we're going to need to prove our ability before we're allowed to advance into the second Stratum, and we're going to have to do this by slaying some beast known as Narmer. Odd name.

In more mundane news, we were able to handily deal with those Largebills on this particular venture through the Labyrinth. I suppose we _have_ been growing stronger.

Also, on the way back from the Senatus I passed by a flyer advertising some sort of fish-killing competition on the fourth floor of the Labyrinth. It might be good practice, I guess I'll bring the idea up to Alexis.

You know, come to think of it, what happens if the Senatus wants to test other newcomer Guilds? I'm pretty sure giant monsters roaming around the higher floors to provide a suitable test for rookie guilds isn't the most common of occurrences.

Expenditure of supplies: 90 en

Expenditure on equipment: 500 en

Profit from selling goods: 356 en

Final Profit: -234 en

Total Current Funds: 2746 en

* * *

**Sidney**

I didn't get to enter the Labyrinth today, so I went to visit mom and dad. They were happy to see me, of course. But before I arrived they were talking about some sort of infestation of sea monsters around Batavia. That's not good at all, of course. Batavia's one of the few trading citites we can still reach after the seas went crazy from the Calamity. If we can't trade with them Armoroad's economy gets dealt a huge blow.

I'm not really sure if I could convince the others to help me out on this, but I don't want to just let this matter be. Maybe I'll talk to Rook. He's been around a bit, he might understand.

Still no luck on the Fire round development. What am I doing wrong?

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 27th of the month of the Silver Lion, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire.

A new recruit arrived today. His name is Sar'Vok Atahualpa, and he wishes to test his strength against the beasts of the Labyrinth. Also he has an affinity with beasts of some kind, and various animals obey his commands.

I'm not one to turn down worthy warriors, but I can't help but wonder how well he'll fit in with the others, especially considering that he doesn't speak any of the local tongues with any degree of fluency.

Jules has also come to me with some story of a fish hunting competition being held shortly. I suppose it won't do much harm to participate, although I don't foresee much chance of us actually succeeding in the competition. It'll be good training, if nothing else.

Rook and Midori appear to be getting along well – at least I see them talking most of the time. Adrian's made fast friends with Sidney, and Sir Geoffrey, while taciturn, is relatively amiable whenever someone talks to him (or whenever he's imbibed sufficient alcohol.) However, Asmodeus prefers to keep to himself, and I don't think I've ever seen Clay give a genuine smile. It's not my place to pry into their personal affairs, but I hope that their performance in battle won't be affected.


	18. Fish Hunt Festival

Entry Eighteen

* * *

**Midori**

So we took part in some sort of fish hunt today. When we assembled at the fifth floor there were a tonne of other guilds around. Some of them looked really tough. They were covered in thick armour and had huge weapons. Although I'm not really sure if all that stuff would be that helpful for fish hunting, come to think of it.

Anyway, long story short, we won! We had a total of 54 marks (I got 14. Rook got 12. Yes! I beat him today!), and the next highest team only got 50. I have to hand it to the new guy, though (Atahualpa, I think?) He was able to lead us to an out of the way stream that had lots of fishes in it. He claims he found it from the scent, but I'm not sure how that works. Is it really possible to track _fish_ based on scent?

I'm getting kind of used to fishes jumping out of the water to attack us by now, but there was a new purple one that I hadn't seen before. It was tougher than most of the others, but I was able to take down a couple of them myself. I mean, the weirdest part was that it seemed like it was _commanding_ some of the red fish. I'm sure a couple of them leapt to its defence when I attacked it. Maybe I'm imagining things?

Anyway, the reward was obviously meant to help facilitate further Labyrinth exploring, but since we're exploring anyway, I can't say I'm complaining.

Also while wandering the area I talked to one of the other guilds and he told me that this 'Narmer' thing that we're supposed to kill hangs out in a large chamber to the east. Apparently a few other rookie guilds that found their way to the fourth floor was also tasked with killing the thing, so I guess we'll have to be quick about it.

* * *

**Rook**

Ugh. Midori beat my kill count today. Oh well, I'll make it up later. Anyway, after gutting so many fishes (and bringing the heads to prove that we weren't lying about our totals) I don't think I want anything seafood based for dinner tonight. Maybe a nice roast chicken…

Atahualpa proved his worth today, and not just in tracking down a fish hotspot. Dude's obviously seen some action with his spear before. Man, I wish I could talk the same language as him so I could ask him about where he learned to fight. Maybe tribal disputes or something?

When I stopped by the ports for a quick check-up on the St. Eris, a lot of them were abuzz with new monsters springing up all over Batavia waters. In an apparent act of universal justice, they've taken down a pirate crew operating in those waters. Aside from that happy little note, it's disrupting trade all across the region. I'm not too worried, though. If I know anything, once Batavia puts up some cash in exchange for those monsters being cleared out they'll be gone faster than you can say 'knife'.

Man, now that I think about it, the seas around Armoroad are a right mess. I never really thought about it growing up, but steering through ridiculous currents and whirlpools don't really happen in other parts of the sea, do they?

Also, I think I need to see about getting a new rapier.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 28th of the month of the Silver Lion, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire.

We succeeded in claiming the first prize for our fish hunt today. In return we received a set of tonics that are said to be useful in aiding mental concentration. The locals refer to these as 'Amritas'. In any case, I distributed these to Geoffrey and Asmodeus upon returning to the guild, seeing as those two were the most likely to need to use them.

Our newest hire had the chance to prove himself today, and his skills were definitely a large contribution to our ability to win this competition. I must admit that I was surprised when he managed to call forth a snake from the undergrowth, but it helped us attack the fish (although I suspect it was also tempted to consume them whole, which would have made us unable to bring back proof of our kill count.) He was rather reticent, but that's merely to be expected.

His Majesty was ecstatic at our victory, of course. I'm not sure if it was merely due to being able to showcase his martial skill (he managed ten kills) or that we won something in general. Anyway, this has provided a boost to morale for all of us, especially since we were able to surpass several more established guilds. I hope this cheerful sentiment lasts when we face tougher trials, as we will assuredly do.

In other news, I've been studying about this 'Narmer' creature. Apparently another rookie guild attempted to challenge it earlier today, and it did not go well for them. They managed to retreat, although from what Is aw of them they will be incapacitated for a good while yet. In any case, the leader graciously agreed to share some of the information (such as the beast's battle tactics) with me, so we should be better prepared for our own encounter with it.

Clay's been acting unhappy with the recent lack of action on her part, so perhaps I should include her for out next Labyrinth venture. I'll discuss this with His Majesty later.


	19. One Last Night of Disquiet

Entry Nineteen

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 1st of the month of the Gold Eagle, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire.

The preparations have been made. At first light tomorrow, we will be proceeding to the fourth floor of the stratum to challenge Narmer. Everything I have learned tells me that this will be the toughest battle yet for our fledging Guild.

The roster for tomorrow's battle will be me, His Majesty, Clay, Sidney, and Midori. From what I understand the battlefield is likely to be filled with more of the same muck that impedes progress all throughout the first stratum. Midori's agility should allow her to avoid such pitfalls, while theoretically Sidney should not need to manoeuvre much at all (In the worst case scenario, I should be able to act as her shield, although my first priority will naturally be protecting his Majesty.) Clay's fighting style usually involves facing the enemy head on, so she should be less affected by lower movement.

Goddess willing, this battle won't go over too badly. For now, I need my rest to prepare for the battle tomorrow.

* * *

**Jules**

I honestly don't think I've ever been this nervous before. I mean, we've run into tough monsters before, but mostly it was on the spur of the moment thing, and they attacked us before we really had time to prepare. Other times we entered battle fully believing in our victory (despite any unforeseen setbacks in the process. My old doublet still has a dark stain from that lizard's venom and I don't think it'll wash out easily.) But sitting in anticipation of fighting a tough foe appears to me to be far more excruciating than actually fighting. (Although I suspect I'll change my tune after having actually fought the thing.)

Part of being a leader is having to keep up morale. I don't doubt our group tomorrow will be looking to me for guidance and leadership (except Alexis, who knows me too well for that.) I never really paid much attention to how to lead back in the palace (after all, I'm seventeenth in line from any position of real power), and now it's all gone wrong.

I know Alexis commands a lot of respect from the rest of the Guild (more respect than me, in any case). Maybe I should start asking her if she knows anything about being an effective leader. Well, it's a little late for that right now. After the battle with Narmer… then we'll see about improving my leadership skills.

Huh. I don't really have the heart to work on our finances, but a job's a job.

Expenditure from supplies: 170 en

Expenditure from equipment: 2620 en

Expenditure, Misc.: 35 en

Profit from sea Goods: 200 en

Profit from Labyrinth Goods: 560 en

Profit from obsolete Equipment: 500 en

Total Profit: -1765 en

Total Current Funds: 1352 en

(I'm going to need to ask Pure and Melina to step up their harvesting duties.)

* * *

**Asmodeus**

The Guild's leaders and several others are venturing into the Labyrinth to challenge a great beast tomorrow. The stars tell off a hard fought battle ahead. No word on the victor, however.

On a more disquieting note, I've received word from Sovelude that Rossa has apparently gone missing. As always, my sister proves herself more trouble than she is worth. Where on earth could she have gone?

… Naturally, it didn't occur to me to consult the stars until a moment ago.

Horoscope: Soon you will have a meeting with one you know well.

Oh, dear Lacrima, _NO._


	20. Vs Narmer, King of the Catfish

Entry Twenty

* * *

**Jules**

My legs feel like they're made of jelly, I barely have the strength to lift my arms, I have the worst headache ever, I'm completely covered in caked mud, and my best set of armour is irreparably damaged.

But we won! We defeated Narmer, and we've been granted access to the 2nd Stratum of the Labyrinth! To tell the truth, it was a far closer battle than I would have liked, especially when it fled halfway through the battle. Our pursuit was delayed by several giant bugs being attracted by the scent of fresh blood, and most, if not all, of us were on the brink of collapse by the time we finally succeeding slaying the beast.

It could hit hard, but it didn't seem overly aggressive. It spent a large portion of the fight throwing mud at us, mostly in an attempt to get us off its back. I suppose that would be why I got complacent and allowed myself to become to primary target for attack with its barbed whiskers. I don't remember very much else after that, but according to Midori, Alexis had to spend the rest of the battle shielding me from errant blows while the others finished it off.

In any case, Alexis has left to turn in the report of success to the Senatus, and the others have left to get their wounds tended to (and maybe inform the rest of the Guild about our victory). I hope Alexis gets back soon, actually. I think I should invite her out for a meal.

Expenditure on supplies: 70 en

Expenditure, Misc.: 130 en

Profit from Labyrinth Goods: 10, 423 en

Total Profit: 10, 223 en

Total Current Funds: 11, 575 en

(I guess that takes care of money problems for the time being.)

* * *

**Sidney**

Monsters Defeated: Starry Slug x 1, Narmer x 1

Items Collected: Volt Whisker x 1, Trembling Fin x 1

Narmer's down, and our guild has proved itself! The creature could hit hard, but in between Jules, Lady Alexis, and the fighter girl hemming it in, it couldn't strike back at me too much. I'm grateful, but at the same time the three of them darting all around the bigger monster made aiming my shots a little difficult. Especially when there was so much mud to move around in.

But I guess I can't complain all that much. Everyone else took some really nasty knocks in the fight, but I was far back enough that nothing really hit me. And I guess that was the point – I could just keep shooting it while the others distracted it.

I met Adrian at the entrance of the Labyrinth on the way out and she kept bugging me to talk about how the fight went. I think I went through every detail (that I can remember, anyway) three times before she seemed satisfied. And her Master was there to, mostly just to say that we 'did well'. I guess he's seen enough in his own time to judge this sort of thing.

Anyway after the fight I stopped by Napier's Firm on the way back to drop off the parts we managed to salvage from the fight. For such a big monster, there was a surprising lack of stuff to get from the corpse. But when Edie saw the Fin I brought her from the monster, her eyes nearly bulged out of her skull. Turns out that the fin is _excellent_ material for weapons crafting. Well, too bad there aren't more of those kinds of monsters, I guess. She paid us a hefty sum for that piece too!

Wow, now that the fight's over, all the exhaustion is kinda bludgeoning me over the shoulders. Guess I should take a nice, long rest.

* * *

**Midori**

My leg _still_ hurts. When Dame Alexis looked at it earlier she expressed shock that I was able to put any weight on it at all, and even after getting it looked at by skilled healers, I won't be in commission for the next couple of days.

The worst part is that this wound didn't even come from Narmer (that we beat, by the way), but one of those stupid bugs that swarm all over the place. One of the long spike-like legs, right through my thigh, and it was all I could do to stem the bleeding before I passed out from shock and blood loss. So much for flitting from shadow to shadow like an ephemeral phantom, huh.

Rook stopped by to visit me, and he told me some stories about how the crew he used to sail with dealt with injuries on the open waters without a doctor or clinic in sight. Some of the stuff he told me made me feel slightly green, but I know he's trying to help.

Anyway, our Guild's now good enough to progress into the second stratum. I wonder what's down there. I dunno why, but I want to say 'blue'. Well, it'll be a while before I get to go there myself, so best I just get some sleep.

* * *

**Clay**

Shit, stupid fucking monster flinging mud in my eyes every ten seconds. As if I didn't want to beat the everloving crap out of his ugly face enough already.

The lady knight seemed more interested in protecting her fancypants prince than actually taking down the monster, so I guess it was up to the rest of us to actually put the stupid thing down. Gotta say, meleeing against a monster that has at least five times your bulk is pretty different from fighting against other humans in an arena. Every time that thing turned around its tail would send me (or one of the other two frontliners) sprawling into the mud.

Anyway, can't say the feeling of taking down a mighty, ferocious beast is a half-bad one. Especially when it's something chose to do and not because I get executed if I refuse to do it. Guess this calls for a nice drink of grog.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 2nd of the Month of the Golden Eagle, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire

I feel utterly exhausted. But this is a good fatigue. If I must some up the beast in a word, it would be 'tenacious'. Whether it was diving through the mud to avoid us, attempting to blind us to flee its pursuers, or simply outright turning tail midway through the fight, Narmer obstinately refused to yield for the longest time. I was finally able to deal a mortal blow at what I believe was the creature's heart, and we succeeded in slaying the creature.

Senator Flowdia appeared most pleased with our success, saying that she was always happy to see another Guild surpass the standards set for it by the Senatus. Since I made sure to give credit to the Murotsumi Guild for providing us information on how to chase down the beast, they'll be allowed access to the 2nd Stratum as well. I'll have to pass this information to them later. That aside, the old lady still warned us not to get cocky since the beasts of the Second Stratum are far tougher than anything the first stratum has to offer. A comforting thought, to say the least.

For now, we've let the rest of the guild out on leave in celebration of our success today. His Majesty has invited me out for dinner tonight, and he's also allowed me the luxury of choosing which eatery I'd like to dine in. That is rather thoughtful of him – I'll have to think of some way to repay him down the line.


	21. New Recruits IV

Entry Twenty One

* * *

**Rossa**

I finally found my brother! Sheesh, it's just like him to run all the way off to some dangerous place without even telling me. Good thing one of his schoolmates told me about Master Hale's assignment for him!

Anyway, big brother wasn't very happy to see me (is he _ever_?) and naturally he insisted I turn around and go straight home. Too bad for him I made sure I came by on the last ship to Sovelude for the month! Anyway, since I _obviously_ can't go back that way now, I got big brother to go show me to the lady who runs the Guild. She's agreed with big brother to let me stay until the next ship to Sovelude departs, but before that happens I'll just have to make sure I make myself so useful to the others they won't want me to leave!

I got a chance to talk to some of the other people in the Guild big brother signed up with (the girl with the funny fox mask said I was 'cute'), and most of them look like fun folks to be around. I'm going out for dinner with a fist-fighter and her master soon! I hear they know how to focus energy to use for healing. Maybe I can show them how to manipulate ether to create lightning or fire.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 3rd of the Month of the Golden Eagle, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire

When it rains, it pours. We've had three new applicants in the course of a single day, and frankly each of them have proven a headache in their own way.

Rossa Frei Astet is Asmodeus' younger sister and apparently prodigiously skilled in the astrological arts. She's also thirteen years old. In all honestly, I do not believe her suited for the rigours of Labyrinth exploration, and I can tell Asmodeus is uneasy at her presence as well. She appears insistent on contributing somehow, so I suppose I'll leave her as an escort for the less dangerous gathering missions until a ship that is returning to Sovelude can be located. I hope her enthusiasm doesn't lead to problems down the line.

But then I didn't get into an argument with his Majesty over _her_. Jared Rayleigh and Relena Rayleigh Mallorn have been operating a freelance shipping business in Batavia waters until recently and they decided that they apparently want a shot at the adventuring business. I can read them well enough to know that there're several events in their past they'd like to hide, but I don't feel the need to press issues. In any case, his Majesty felt uneasy enough with Jared that he didn't want to accept him into our Guild. This despite his obvious skill with a gun. It's not often that I challenge his Majesty directly, but I don't think a bad feeling is sufficient grounds for cutting someone out. In any case, he's in a bit of a bad mood right now. Relena's fighting style appears superficially similar to that of Midori's, so we'll see how she fares.

On to more immediate matters. I believe we've prepared adequately for a venture into the 2nd Stratum tomorrow. Thanks to the sudden rush of administrative issues I was unable to gather much information on the denizens of the 2nd Stratum, but the goals I've set for tomorrow's venture is relatively modest; a quick scouting to see the general terrain, and perhaps the strength of the beasts in the area, so we shouldn't face insurmountable obstacles.

* * *

**Asmodeus**

My worst fears have been realized. Rossa arrived in town yesterday, and after making sure the ship departed without her on it, she asked around until she managed to locate the Guild that I've attached myself to.

Naturally she treats the task assigned to me by Master Hale as some sort of glorified camping trip. I almost wish she would get involved in an incident of some kind of other so she would realize the dangers of the situation, and that her status as a 'prodigy' simply won't count for very much at all. But that's my emotions getting the better of me. The wisest course of action would be to limit her involvement with any Guild activities until I can safely send her back on the next ship bound for Sovelude, and I believe the Lady Alexis agrees with this course of action. Of course, there won't be any more of those ships for the rest of the month at least.

As always, my sister proves herself more trouble than she is worth.

Horoscope:

Hm. The stars are noticeably silent tonight. Puzzling, and somewhat worrisome.

* * *

**Geoffrey**

Thought for the Day: Always be careful that what you seek is not already in front of your eyes

Went to the Bistro again today.

Some of the patrons needed help.

Someone wanted honey from Amber bees. Left me with instructions on how to find it.

Passed that task to Adrian. She could use the exercise.

Another wanted help with finding a missing guild.

Discovered they tended to hang around campsites.

Found a girl at a campsite. Named Olympia.

She helped direct me to another campsite on the third floor.

Monster ambush on the way. Minor wounds sustained. Nothing severe.

Guild could not be located.

When I returned to Bistro, it was discovered that they had returned in my absence. Was rewarded regardless.

I thanked them for their generosity and went to eat my dinner.

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Grumpy

Master brought me a request from the Bistro today. As usual, he spends all his time there nowadays. Bah.

Anyway, it was a task to help grab some honey from a type of bee that only lives in the Labyrinth. I got Sidney, Rook and Atahualpa to head on down with me, and between the four of us we made short work of most of the beasties we found on our way down. Stupid metal crabs still took a fair bit of killing though.

Anyway, found the bee's nest, chased off the bees, and brought the stupid honey back to the bar. When we returned, I found out that Alexis had hired a new bunch of people. The sailor dude and his wife I get, but the last one looked kinda… dainty. Dunno how much she can really contribute, but I struck up a conversation with her and later Master invited her to come eat dinner with us. I swear, if he brings us to the Bistro I'm going to punch him. (And then I'll promptly be thrown through a wall or something. Master's still way ahead of me, after all.)

* * *

**Atahualpa**

The third floor of the Labyrinth is severely churned and trampled. Great beasts of some kind dwell there. I did not have the time to inquire of this to my companions when I ventured down, so I shall question the others of it later.

The upper floors of the Labyrinth are… soothing. Familiar. However, I am told that the appearances of the Labyrinth changes drastically as one ventures deeper in. I shall have to prepare myself for lands I am not familiar with.

I have found a Mole wandering wounded through the upper reaches of the Labyrinth. I will nurse it back to health and see if it will share its trust with me.

Ahul, know that your father is in fine spirits and good health.


	22. A New Stratum

Entry Twenty-Two

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Awed.

Wow. The second stratum is _pretty_. I mean, once you get over the fact that you're basically walking underwater and all that, you start paying attention to all the coral and underwater plants all around you and whatnot, and there's just so much to see.

But the monsters are aggressive little buggers. Barely took a couple of steps in there before we were jumped by a pack of starfish. We were doing okay for a while until one of them shot an icicle at me. An icicle! How'd it even manage that? Anyway, the long and short of it was that it struck a glancing blow off my temple and got me knocked silly for the rest of the fight. We pulled out pretty quickly after that, although I have to be honest and say that I wasn't very clear on how things were going for a good bit.

Also, we brought along the newest hires for our latest trip. Jared's all swagger and talk, but he's good enough with a gun that between him and his wife, they were able to put down one of those starfish on their own. 's pretty… I dunno, stern. She doesn't talk much, but when she does, it's mostly to point out when one of us (including her husband) is doing something wrong. According to Alexis she jumped in to protect me when I got knocked out by the starfish, though, so I guess she's a team player, at least.

Also, I need to start thinking of a way to fight back against those starfish. Maybe I should review some new techniques with Master.

* * *

**Jules**

We ventured down to the second stratum today. It being underwater was… something I did not expect. Anyway, we basically wandered around until we got attacked by a pack of starfish. We were able to fight them off, but the fight was noticeably tougher than many of the enemies we'd fought in the 1st stratum, so when Alexis suggested a retreat I agreed.

We were able to discover a chamber with a strange glowing light before we got very far in. At around the same time, someone named Kujura showed up to explain that it was a Submagnetic Pole, something that we could use to travel quickly back and forth between town and Labyrinth. Well, that should certainly prove handy. Honestly, I was beginning to wonder if I would have to trek down the higher floors every time we wanted to venture deeper. Hopefully we can find more of these poles on the way down.

Jared and Relena… honestly, I'm not comfortable around them. I'm not sure why Alexis thinks they're valuable enough to keep on board, but they're a part of the guild now. I suppose I'm responsible for them. In any case, they fought well enough today.

We'll see about venturing further down later on.

Expenditure on supplies: 78 en

Expenditure, Misc: 340 en

Profit from Labyrinth Goods: 500 en

Total Profit: 82 en

Total Current Funds: 11, 543 en

* * *

**Melina**

I had a rather large stroke of luck today! When venturing into the Labyrinth for a harvesting run (accompanied by one of their newer hires. She's a sweet girl and apparently good at magic, but a little… young?) I found a spot to gather Hibiscus flowers from! Ultimately only five of them were of good enough quality to be sold back at town, but still, that's a rather large boon.

When we on our way back, we ended up being attacked by a Titan Arum, and I'm proud to say I managed to deal the final blow to it! Of course, Ms. Rossa's fire spell was instrumental in weakening the creature first, but an accomplishment is an accomplishment.

When I returned back to our quarters, I noticed a poster asking for experienced farmers to aid in some sort of conference. I'm not really sure if I make the cut, though. Maybe Pure? Well, that's rather unlikely, I guess, but it wouldn't hurt to ask.

Well, let's see. What should I have for dinner tonight? Maybe some stewed mushrooms?

* * *

**Jared**

Well we didn't get much exploring done today, that's for sure. I mean, sure we walked down four floors worth of stuff, but all that's been explored by the others before. If I want to get a feel for those places, I guess I'll have to do it on my own time and all that.

And once we got to a new place – underwater, it was, we barely spent any time there before heading back out again. Bah! At least what little I saw looks like it'll prove enough of a challenge to get the blood pumping.

Well I've talked to some of my new partners and got them to show me around town. Armoroad's way bigger than Batavia, so I wouldn't want to get lost, would I?

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 4th of the Month of the Golden Eagle, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire

Perhaps slotting in Jared and Relena for today's venture was not the wisest of ideas. His Majesty is still not entirely comfortable with either of them, and there was a noticeable amount of tension during the trek. On a more personal note, Jared's insistence on rolling his 'r's every time he speaks is rather irritating.

The 2nd Stratum is a drastic departure from the first stratum, if only in appearance. And the enemies there… well, we only managed to enter a single battle in our time there, so I cannot say for certain, but they appear to be a step above those of the 1st stratum, as Senator Flowdia told me.

On a happier note, the discovery of a Submagnetic Pole has made it such that further Labyrinth ventures into the 2nd stratum (and perhaps the bottom of the 1st stratum) should be easier than our initial journey in. Adrian, at least, is positively ecstatic about having easy access to another environment to train in (and this after she was the one most badly wounded in our latest fight.)

I'll need to see to being able to protect other members of our Guild in combat. The ability to do so can only be useful going forward.


	23. Training Session II

Entry Twenty Three

* * *

**Rook**

Beat Midori in a duel today. She was fast, but doing her body split clone thing always leaves her tuckered out for a couple of seconds, so she ended up giving me the opening I needed for the win.

'Course she mumbled something about how that fight didn't count and how she'll get me next time. I don't half mind the challenge, of course. Gives me something to keep my skills sharp with.

The second's stratum supposed to be underwater, isn't it? Most of my experience with the sea is with me being on _top_ of the waves, not under it. I'm excited to explore the place, but everything I've heard tells me that we'll need to have a well prepared team going in. I'm not just doing these training sessions for the fun of it, after all.

Anyway, Midori and I went to have lunch by the port after our training session, and after we finished she agreed to come help me check up on the St. Eris. I don't think she knows much about boats at all, but eh. Can't fault her for trying to help. On our way there we met Jared and Relena, and he was busy with upkeep for his own ship, 'The Black, One-Eyed Mangy Mutt'. I can't say that's a name I'd have chosen for _my_ ship, but eh. His choice.

More importantly, while we were busy doing our work a messenger from Batavia came in. Bad news, of course. In addition to the swarms of monsters swamping the region, there's apparently a leader of some kind. Of course, if the leader could be taken out in a knockout blow that'd help scatter the others, but leaders tend to become leaders because they're a good sight tougher than any of the goons.

I had a talk with the guys, but aside from Midori (who's ambivalent), and Sidney (who wants those pests gone for the sake of Armoroad's trade) most of them seem to think it's somebody else's problem. Oh well. We're not the only fighters around, so they should be okay in the long run.

* * *

**Jared**

I hope Ace and Mau Mau are doing okay. When I last saw them they'd gotten it into their fool heads that they wanted to become adventurers. 'Like me', they said. Bah. Should've told them about the time a cannonball nearly removed my head. That'd set them straight.

Anyway, no one else in the Guild knows how to use a gun, apparently. Damn shame. That's one less partner to practice with, see if I'm still the fastest draw this side of the Eastern Ocean.

* * *

**Sidney**

Monsters killed: Starry Slug x 2, Claw Shrimp x 2, Great Anaconda x 1,

Items Collected: Starry Case x 1, Sharp Fang x1

So today morning Adrian and I decided to head to the Labyrinth for some training. Adrian said she was getting bored with beating up on monsters from the higher levels, so we used the Submagnetic pole to take a shortcut to the fourth floor (apparently we can use it now because Adrian used it before, and since I passed through it myself, I can use it whenever we want… I think.)

Anyway, we brought Rossa along because she was really curious about what exploration was like (and _boy_ did I get an earful from Alexis when I got back. Guess I should consulted them first…), and after telling her to be careful, we ventured down there.

And, well, let's just say that there was a whole lot of fire out there today. Adrian was flinging out some new fist skill where she actually _set her hands on fire_ before attacking. It didn't look like it hurt, but still, it was pretty jarring. And Rossa knew fire and lightning spells and mostly hung back and cast them. (And of course, I couldn't join in because I _still_ can't get my fire rounds to work!)

We had a pretty close call when a giant snake lunged for Rossa, though. I was able to kill it, and at first I thought Rossa had avoided getting injured, but then a dark stain started spreading across her tunic. Adrian didn't know healing spells, and we'd forgotten to pack Medicas (but not, thank goodness, an Ariadne Thread) so we had to get out of there.

More bad news about Batavia when we got back. Some sort of giant sea monster's leading the rest, and trade from that city is officially closed to Armoroad. Most of the rest of our Guild didn't sound interested except for Rook (I guess he feels worried about any problems on the sea.) But Jared and Relena are from Batavia, aren't they? Shouldn't they care?

I'll go talk to Alexis tonight. Or maybe tomorrow morning. I don't need a large team to agree with me – just enough to get a crew out there to fight those things off. I don't want to stand by and let Armoroad suffer.

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Unsure

Yes! I got the Breakfire Fist working! You shoulda seen the look of Sidney's face when I successfully pulled it off. Which wasn't half as awesome as tearing through a bunch of shrimp with flaming hands. Awesome!

Of course when I told Master about it he just sighed and asked if I'd mastered the basic Healing technique yet. I really should get around to it one of these days. Masters wants to teach me altruism and all that…


	24. This and That IV

Entry Twenty Four

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 6th of the Month of the Golden Eagle, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire

A further excursion into the 2nd Stratum revealed the existence of several crocodile-like creatures. Unwilling to provoke (and thus battle) one without due cause, I observed it hunting on a High Onnep in the area. The fight was short but brutal. The crocodile is apparently an extremely efficient hunter.

Later on we ended up in combat against a High Onnep ourselves. As a foe, it was certainly a formidable one. A single one of its charging strikes was nearly able to knock me over. If the crocodile was able to dispose of one of these creatures so easily, then it's a foe I do not feel comfortable facing – not for a while, at any rate.

(X)

Subsequent questioning of the locals have taught me that the creature is simply referred to as an 'Abyssal Death'. That does wonders for my confidence. There also appears to be a heated argument coming from Jules room. I suppose I'll end this for now and go check on him.

* * *

**Pure**

Profit: 320 en

Ugh. Just… UGH.

Today I went for a gathering run, pick up some extra stuff from the bottom of the 1st Stratum. Alexis was busy with an excursion into the 2nd stratum so she didn't come along (thank the Maker) and Melina was feeling a little under the weather so it was just me and the four people assigned to guard me. Yeah, whatevs.

So we're on our way to a gathering spot they found the last time went traipsing through here when we get jumped by a deer. And not just any deer. This thing was _pissed_. Anyway, we barely had time to get our weapons ready (well, the others barely had time to get their weapons ready. I had time to duck and cower) before it jumped on us.

So at first I think it's going okay, right? The redhead monk and the girl with the mace are doing a good job holding the creature off while the guy with the funny headdress and the guy with the magic are hanging back and attacking from a distance. And then the deer _screams_. I nearly jumped out of my skin, but the kicker is that from a close range it can… I dunno, disorient you or something. Anyway, the monk girl gets dazed or something and starts attacking at random. And then she came after _me_! I don't look anything like a deer! So while everyone else was trying to put the deer down quickly I'm running around the clearing for my dear life. And screaming my lungs out, although I don't think I got heard over the deer's roars. Of course, I don't spend every minute of the day training like _she_ does so she caught up to me in no time. One tap to the back of the head and I'm out like a candle in a storm.

Later I woke up with the worst headache ever and the monk looking over me, asking me if I was okay. After I recovered enough to stand up again, the first thing I did was stumble over to the corpse of the deer (they'd just finished skinning it, too) and kick it a couple of times. Yeah, petty, but what the hell.

Anyway, got the metals from the field (tried to follow the advice Melina gave me before just in case one of the others reports to Alexis later) and later went home to sleep the pain off. The monk girl (I learnt her name was Adrian, by the way) followed me the whole way, apologizing and asking if I was okay. She also offered to get her teacher to check the wound, but something about that guy creeps me out, so I just told her no thanks.

* * *

**Jared**

Oh, bloody hell. Just got a letter from Ace. The little rotter's gone and gotten himself caught as a stowaway on one of the ships that trades with Armoroad. Apparently they discovered him after they learnt that trade was temporarily shut down and headed back to port. Anyway, he and Mau Mau (and the other kid… what's his face.) have a choice of fighting off the monsters around Batavia or getting thrown in jail.

And _of course_ the fool kid decides to go fight those monsters! He'll be slaughtered, him and his friends. Unless, of course, some others show up to help him out of his little jam.

Now the only question is whether or not to tell the others before I set off. Cutting and running from a group I just signed up for isn't my style, but this is urgent. Even Relena looks upset, and when she does, you know it really worries her.

I'll head out as soon as the 'Mutt's prepped to go.

* * *

**Jules**

A couple of hours after coming back from the Labyrinth and a good bath was doing wonders to get me into a good mood. Of course that's immediately shattered by Rook bursting in and yelling that Jared's left for Batavia without giving notice. Perfect. Just what I needed to hear.

Alexis entered the room about that point, asking what the matter was. She seemed rather concerned with why Jared would choose to leave all of a sudden like that, but I don't really see why that's important.

In any case, we had to make a decision about whether or not to chase him. Rook told me that the Mutt was a good enough ship that the St. Eris wouldn't be able to catch up with it before it reached Batavia regardless of what we did, but the 'Mutt' is distinctive enough that we'd be able to spot it if it's docked there.

Personally, I really don't feel he's worth the trouble, but I suppose it's in everyone's best interests we don't let someone just run out on us after we've officially signed him on. Troop solidarity and all that. I've put together a team to go after him (I _tried_ to leave Alexis out of it, but she just gave me one of those looks. Well, excuse me for trying not to aggravate your phobias.), so hopefully by nightfall tomorrow (our best estimate for reaching Batavia and returning) we'll have a clear idea of what happened. (And whether or not to retain Jared and his wife.)

A little pressed for time, so finances:

Total Expenditure: 415 en

Total Income: 320 en

Total Profit: -75 en

Total Current Funds: 10, 786 en


	25. Vs the Cruel Roamer of the High Seas

Entry Twenty Five

* * *

**Rook**

Well, you could knock me over with a feather right about now. I've seen quite a few things in my day, and swarms of shrimp and puffers swarming over the side of the ship to take a bite out of me definitely goes near the bottom of the list of experiences I'd willingly repeat.

So we spent about… half an hour clearing those things out? Probably a bit more, actually. Midori's probably going to be mad we missed this, come to think of it. Adrian did a good job with knocking them back into the water, and her master basically kept everyone else going while they were gnawing away at us. Nasty little buggers. I think those puffers had poison in their sacs or something, because the green stuff they were shooting at us did _not_ look healthy.

We'd just about finished cleaning up the wave of beasties when we caught sight of the 'Mutt', which was under attack as well. We were about to go help Jared out (along with a trio of kids I'm don't think I've seen before) when this giant fish erupted from the water. Along with more of his cronies, of course.

Well, it took some doing, but we managed to put the creature down for good. I think it was Jared who dealt the final shot right in one of the fish's eye. After the fighting I had to go do a quick run through of the St. Eris to make sure nothing go busted up too bad (and keep a covert eye on Alexis, who spent the majority of the fight looking like she wanted to throw up.) Jules took a couple of nasty knocks, but he was in a good enough shape to cross over to the 'Mutt' and have a talk with Jared.

Long story short, he's back in the team and we're all a happy family again. And with the boss fish dead the rest of the monsters around Batavia should disperse pretty soon, so that's a plus too. Now it's nightfall and we've just spotted Armoroad in the distance, so once we dock and I secure the St. Eris I'm going to go get some rest.

* * *

**Jules**

Well, I spent the outward journey half worried about what we were going to say to Jared when we caught up to him (aside from 'why did you run off', of course) and the other half worried about how Alexis was doing. The sea wasn't at its smoothest either, worse luck. At one point Rook steered the ship into a strong current to get us to Batavia faster and I swear to the Goddess Alexis actually _whimpered_.

Of course that kind of became secondary once monsters started swarming on board the ship and we had to devote all of our attention to getting them off it. During the battle I spotted several other ships (some flying Batavia's colours, some not) engaged in battle with the creatures as well, so it appears we arrived just in time for the official attempt at clearing out the infestation.

It wasn't too long before we spotted Jared and Relena killing monster's themselves, so we headed over to them – right into the path of the giant fish that apparently commanded the rest of the swarm. How a fish commands prawns and pufferfish is a mystery I don't particularly feel that I want the answer to, but there it is. Anyway, we engaged it in battle, and I'm not proud to say that I nearly got knocked overboard more than once. Despite her obvious discomfort, Alexis still protected me to the best of her ability, but I have to admit she wasn't at the top of her game.

In any case, Guild Paragon got the credit for slaying the giant beast, and after the battle I went to have a talk with Jared. Turns out he learned some of his… friends? (they're a lot younger than him and seem to idolize him a fair bit) got drafted into fighting the monsters and he rushed off to join them because he didn't want them to die. I suppose I can appreciate the sentiment, but I really can't approve of such impulsive acts like that. (Writes the man who _accidentally_ declared he was going to conquer the Yggdrasil Labyrinth.) In any case, Jared came back to the Guild and was willing to take a docking of a week's pay in exchange for his tomfoolery. His compatriots weren't badly harmed either, so there's that. At least he's shown he's got a heart for others, so I suppose he isn't such a bad sort.

The instant we docked at Inver Alexis nearly sprinted down the gangplank and back to the inn. The whole day must have been absolute torture for her. I should probably get her a gift of some kind to make up for what she went through today.

Expenditure on seafaring supplies: 120 en

Expenditure on town supplies: 75 en

Expenditure on equipment: 3450 en (WHAT?)

Expenditure, Misc: 34 en

Income from Labyrinth goods: 0 en

Income from Ocean goods: 165 en

Income from selling obsolete equipment: 137 en

Total Profit: -3477 en

Total Current Funds: 7, 309 en

(All right, who spent over 3000 en on new equipment? _Someone_ is going to have to answer for this tomorrow.)

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Exuberant

Woo hoo! Second time I've beat down a giant beastie! I was feeling a bit down over missing out on taking down Narmer, but I'd say today made up for it, and then some. Setting your fists aflame and punching enemies to death with them never gets old!

When we got back, Sidney was waiting at port for us and wanted to know about the monsters infesting Batavia. Now I didn't want to brag, but there really wasn't any other way to say it than that we helped clear them out. Sidney seemed really overjoyed at that – she really does have Armoroad's prosperity at heart, I guess. Makes me wonder about my own home. Been a long while since I've seen it, hasn't it?

Went with Master to (where else? Sigh.) the Bistro for a drink and maybe a late supper before turning in. When we went inside I caught sight of Pure throwing back another drink in a booth near the far corner so I went over to talk to him. I guess I still feel kinda bad about slugging him on the noggin yesterday. He was in a pretty good mood (helped, no doubt, by the large amount of alchohol he'd downed beforehand. Hate that stuff) but he still recognized me. We chatted for a bit and… yeah. That's about it.

'Sfunny. I don't feel like going to bed yet. Maybe I'll head down to the town square and run some laps.

* * *

**Asmodeus**

I was reading by candlelight by the docks when I spotted both ships under our Guild returning. I briefly entertained thoughts of going to welcome them but decided against it. They all looked rather haggard and I suspect that they went to bed as soon as they docked and cleaned up.

I must admit I'm not overly fond of these distractions. My goal is simply to delve as deep into the Labyrinth as possible and then report back to the master about the Deep City (or more likely, the complete lack of evidence to be found). Affairs such as these merely drag out the time I need to spend in this city. At least Rossa spent most of today exploring Armoroad, so she was out of my hair.

Horoscope: Beware the three.

… Sometimes I wonder if getting incomprehensible readings is better or worse than getting no readings at all.

* * *

**Jared**

Well, all's well that ends well. Batavia's free of monsters, Ace and his gang have their freedom and their heads (and a bit of cash from the reward money), and I bagged myself a giant sea monster!

Okay, getting one week of pay slashed for running off like that isn't so hot, but I guess it's only fair. The Guild gives me most of the stuff I need to get by like food and a roof over my head so it's not like it's a life or death situation or something.

Anyway, me and Relena are heading off to town to do some celebrating. Get some ale, maybe a tankard or two, you know how it is.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 7th of the Month of the Golden Eagle, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire

Today was, all things considered, an unpleasant day.

I don't want to admit it, but I was fighting to keep my composure throughout the entirety of the sea trip. I know Jules his Majesty noticed my discomfort (he knows me too well, after all), but I'm pretty sure the others were aware of it. (Master Geoffrey is obviously very perceptive in general, and Rook's a regular enough seafarer to tell when others _aren't_.) To make things worse, when we ended up dragging into battle with the monsters plaguing Batavia (including their apparent leader) my discomfiture led directly to his Majesty getting wounded. I failed in my duty today. There's no other way to put it.

Still, I can't mope. I still need to arrange another expedition to the Labyrinth (probably afternoon of tomorrow). Most of the people who went into action today probably deserve a break, so I'll assign some of those who have been relatively inactive.

I wonder if Atahualpa would feel uncomfortable in the underwater environs of the 2nd Stratum? I suppose we'll find out soon.


	26. Taking It Easy

Entry Twenty Six

* * *

**Sidney**

Monsters Killed: Whorled Puffer x 3, Red Starfish x 4, Hungry Coral x 3, High Onnep x 1

Items Collected: Spherical Bone X 2, Ebony Liver X 1, Red Core x 2, Red Arm x 2, Coral Arm x 1, Supple Branch x 2, Sea Beast Fur x 1, Jutting Tusk x 1

Today had a pretty good haul! In between that and Batavia getting cleared out last night (our Guild helped too, even though I wasn't there myself.), I guess I'm in a pretty good mood.

The second Stratum really is beautiful. When I first set foot in there I spent a couple of minutes just gazing around at the scenery. There're a lot of fishes and plants that _aren't_ hostile to us, although I guess that makes the ones that are stand out more.

And guess what! I _finally_ got the flame rounds to work! I just loaded up a shot, told everyone to stand back, and BOOM! Those starfish never even knew what hit 'em! I was actually kinda nervous about whether or not it'd really work before I let it fly, but it turns out that it worked even better than expected! Unfortunately I can't carry that many rounds with me yet, but maybe if I figure out how to make them more compact?

Also, those High Onneps are surprisingly tough. Asmodeus was laid flat when the one we fought slammed him with its tail, and we had to use our best medicines to get him back onto his feet again. When we were discussing it on the way back (we'd agreed to not to use the Ariadne thread when the Submagnetic Pole was just close by) and Alexis mentioned that at least one other creature in the vicinity is far tougher than those High Onneps. Not looking forward to facing _that_ one, I guess.

Oh yeah, we found a couple of seashells during our trek. I brought back some of the prettier ones – I wonder if Adrian would want one?

I could do with a nice cold drink right about now. I wonder if Missy down at the Bistro's whipped up anything new?

* * *

**Asmodeus**

I suppose I couldn't have expected to avoid taking serious injury while exploring the Labyrinth, but I was nonetheless surprised by a creature known as a High Onnep attacking me with its tail. I was knocked senseless for a while and by the time I came to the battle had already concluded.

Being an Ice specialist, I have to wonder if I'll find much use for my spells here. Rossa was the one who was more inclined to study Fire magics. Well, there's nothing for it. I'll just have to manage this as best I can. Even aquatic dwellers should have trouble withstanding extreme cold, after all.

When I returned to town it became apparent that Rossa had headed out with a couple of others on a fishing trip. I suppose there isn't much danger inherent in that, but I would really prefer she not get involved in any of the Guild's affairs at all. Perhaps I should have a talk with our leaders and see what they think.

Horoscope: Beware the three of three.

What does that even mean?

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 8th of the Month of the Golden Eagle, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire

A fang we dug out from the giant fish's mouth yesterday was useful in crafting a new spear at Napier's firm. As of now the Ga-Dearg is safe in my possession and my combat effectiveness should be that much greater.

I'm glad to say that today's Labyrinth venture did not have many issues inherent in it. His Majesty sat today's excursion out, though, due to fatigue from yesterday's mission. Everyone contributed in today's battles (I have to admit to being surprised when Sidney unleashed some sort of barrage of explosives midway through a fight) and we were able to complete our excursion without anyone receiving serious injury. We haven't been able to locate the way to the 6th floor, though. All things in their own time, I suppose.

* * *

**Rossa**

Well I got a ride on the boat today, and it's just as fun as I remember. We mostly went out fishing, and Rook showed me how to haul in fishes, but I wasn't really strong enough to help much with that. I guess spending most of my life in the great Library didn't really prepare me for this sort of thing. I wonder how Big Brother is faring in the dungeon?

So when we got back we grilled some of the fishes we caught (I helped them start the fire up!) and then I brought some to big brother for dinner. As usual he was stuck in his books. Something about the history of Armoroad, I think. At least he said thank you this time. (I also caught sight of a bruise on his forehead but decided not to ask about it.

Man, big brother really doesn't know how to take care of himself.

* * *

**Clay**

It's been nearly a month since I reached this town, and still no sign of that man or his goons. Well, if he's really given up on the idea of chasing me then all the better, but I know I'm still going to be sleeping with one eye open for a while yet.

Went out on another fishing trip today. Fished up an ugly little black thing with thorns all over. Apparently it's a delicacy of some kind with the aristocrats. Figures they'd like this sort of stuff. Sold it off at the port because no one in our group wanted it.

I'll be heading down the Labyrinth tomorrow. Let's see if I can't bag some things that need killing while I'm there.


	27. This and That V

Entry Twenty Seven

* * *

**Atahulapa**

The land under the waters is different, yet familiar. It is not natural, that much is certain. The air is breathable, and what clothes we wear are as dry as the plains in the height of the droughts. What civilization could have created a realm such as this?

We accomplished the objective that we set out to do, namely to find the egress that leads us further into the depths. We nearly had encounters with several crocodile-like creatures, but our leader was insistent that we not face them yet.

In less comforting news, the greatspear I have brought with me for my journey is heavily notched. Creatures seemingly made of rock lurk in these depths, and prolonged battle against these wears heavily on the weapons.

The mole I rescued appears to be healing well. It is willing to eat out of my hands, too.

Ahul, I understand I have saddled with you a heavy burden of leading the tribe. If you have need of advice or aid, do not hesitate to ask.

* * *

**Clay**

Sheesh. Buncha cowards. What's all that about wanting to avoid the monsters? They're there for a reason!

_Anyway_, we kinda wandered around the place for a while and there were a bunch of secret passages and whatever that we had to poke around to find and then we have to go through them single file. Nearly got my hair stuck in one of those narrow passageways, and the ninja girl trying to stifle her giggling I could do without.

While we were taking on the beasts I caught sight of Alexis using some kind of fancy spell to put lightning on her spear when she attacked. It got me to thinking; if she can do that sort of thing, there's no reason why I can't. 'Course, I don't know the first thing about magic. Maybe I could talk to that researcher guy and have him help me figure something out.

Oh yeah, we found the way deeper in. At the rate we're going, we'll find this Deep City thing in no time flat!

* * *

**Midori**

I ran into that Agata guy again! He's having a lot of fun exploring the second stratum like us, and he's strong enough that he split up from his friend to explore alone. We had some time to talk when Dame Alexis called for a break, and we discussed our ninja abilities. Agata told me that his skills came from a teacher who retired to his village and taught the village boys in his spare time.

As for me… ugh. I had to tell him I couldn't remember. He didn't seem to mind much, though, and he even gave me a scroll that he said might help me out. When I have the time later I'll have to look through it and see if any of the stuff written on it might help me out.

We also got to talking about Hypatia, the astrologer girl who travels with him. He mentioned that he was worried about her, since she was getting restless the further they got into the second stratum. I nodded and tried to be sympathetic, but I didn't tell him that I'm… kinda the same way. I keep getting the weird sense of danger that I can't shake off.

I wonder if I should talk to Dame Alexis about that. Or maybe Rook.

* * *

**Melina**

I… suppose I was premature in spending so much money on armour and weapons. And I suppose Master Jules was perfectly justified in taking me to task for not informing him of it earlier. But I had a coupon for a discount at Ms. Edie's store, and it expired soon.

In any case, I'll have to make it up to the Guild with some extra work. I've been working on improving my stamina and survivability, so I should be able to enter the Undersea Grotto and gather materials from there. The materials from there should be of a higher quality than the ones in the Waterfall Woods, shouldn't it?

I'll need an escort, though. I'm not _that_ strong yet. I wonder who's free tomorrow afternoon?

* * *

**Jules**

Well, I got the issue with the equipment sorted out, and now there's a huge pile of unused armour and weapons lying in our Guild storeroom. I'll tell the others about it and see if any of them want the stuff from it.

In other news, we've discovered the entrance to the sixth floor. Which came about _after_ we spent the better part of the afternoon avoiding attracting the attention of the Abyssal Deaths roaming the area. I could tell a couple of our team members weren't too happy with having to avoid them, but better safe than sorry. If the High Onneps are still giving us trouble, best we avoid tougher foes for now.

In one of our attempts to evade the reptiles, we ended up ducking into a room with several fossils in it. Alexis made a note of it in case Asmodeus wanted to take a look at it in the future. Personally, I just wonder what kind of creature would have left behind fossils like this.

Expenditure on Supplies: 340 en

Expenditure on Equipment: 0 en

Expenditure on Seafaring: 70 en

Expenditure, Misc: 0 en

Income from Labyrinth Goods: 300 en

Income from Sea Goods: 50 en

Income from Obsolete Equipment: 0 en

Income, Misc: 0 en

Total Profit Gained: - 60 en

Total Current Funds: 8492 en

(Something doesn't seem right with that amount…)

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 9th of the Month of the Golden Eagle, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire

I met Lady Hypatia in the Labyrinth today. She greeted me in a cordial manner, although I could tell that she was obviously preoccupied with something. It appears odd that she would be so uneasy – from what I can tell, she's an accomplished adventurer, probably more skilled than anyone else in our Guild.

We also had more encounters with the Abyssal Deaths. I ordered that we not engage them until we could be certain that we would prove a match for them, and while not a popular decision, they all obeyed. (It's not like a single dissident could have challenged those things alone, regardless.)

In any case, we've discovered the entrance to the sixth level of the Labyrinth. According to the people in town, the sixth floor appears to be a brick wall of sorts. The vast majority of Guilds never make it beyond the sixth floor, and a vast majority of _those_ end up annihilated. We shall have to exercise caution moving forward.

In combat, I noticed Clay paying an inordinate amount of attention towards me. I don't believe she was looking out for my personal safety, so I remain at a loss as to what that was about.

When we returned to town, Asmodeus met me and asked me about the possibility of ensuring Rossa not get involved in any Guild activities at all. I'm hesitant to pry into family affairs, as I suspect this to be, so I made him no promises save that I would not involve her in tasks that I felt were beyond her abilities as a thirteen-year old. He appeared unhappy with that decision, but accepted it without complaint.

In happier news, His Majesty appears to be growing as a leader. During our journey today, he was able to judge the flow of battle well enough to give orders either to go on the offense or the defense. I believe the Emperor would be glad to see how much his son has matured in such a short time.

Speaking of which, I should probably review the record of the expenses he's been keeping and see if it matches up with my tally.

* * *

**Juliana**

I don't believe this! My application to form a Guild was rejected! Me! Juliana sel Arcadia Nordel Bathomys Dagflan of House Stagarad! And just because neither Wooster or Zack (or me, I suppose) are skilled at drawing maps! Why would I even need such a skill?

… What's to become of me? I can't go home like this! Not after making so many grand promises to father and the Grand Chancellor! This was my chance to make a name for myself and prove that I'm something more than a pampered noble who can't take care of herself. And now? I'll be the laughing stock of the palace!

I hope Zack has some kind of plan. (Wooster won't, if I know anything about him.) I can't go back like this.

(X)

Zack suggested applying for membership to an already existing Guild. That's feasible enough, I suppose. But… if that happens, won't I be buried in the ranks as just another member? That's not what I wanted from this expedition at all!

Wooster suggested that we go for a boat ride to clear my head and when we return I might have a clearer idea of what to do. The poor dear really tries, I suppose, even if he isn't that bright.

And I could use some relaxing, anyway, I suppose. Yes, a short boat trip to clear my head – perhaps to Ayutthaya and back.


	28. New Recruits V

Entry Twenty Eight

* * *

**Jules**

Well.

That's it.

I'm dead. Alexis is going to kill me. And knowing the training she's received, she's probably studied plenty of ways to do just that.

I suppose my initial error of putting a digit in the wrong column when calculating expenses wasn't too big, but the fact that she was the one to catch the error when she did a review of the expenses (why did she have to pick yesterday of all days?) led to a bit of tension back in the inn.

All right, she was on the verge of blowing up at me, so I decided to head out to sea for the day (which I know is playing dirty since she'll never willingly set foot on a boat unless my safety was at stake). I figured I'd spend a day or so out there, and then head back after Alexis had time to cool off.

Rook was okay with this (the joking remarks about being henpecked I could do without, however) and suggested we make a quick detour to Ayutthaya since he had some unfinished business there to take care of anyway. I agreed and I consider myself worse off for it.

First off, a storm blew up just as we were within sight of Ayutthaya's harbour. And I don't claim to know that much about seafaring, but I'm willing to bet any amount of money that it wasn't a natural one. I _could_ theorize about how it might have been the Goddess punishing me for trying to avoid Alexis' anger, but I doubt She takes much interest in details like that. Anyway, the storm was violent enough that we had to devote all our energy into getting the St. Eris into port, and that's when the trouble really started.

Apparently a giant shark of some kind's been the bane of Ayutthaya's shipping for as long as the city can remember – they say it hunts the Tanniyns that can be found in the area. Regardless, it decided that now was a really good time to show up and hunt – and our little ship ended up being its primary target (or at least it _looked_ an awful lot like that).

I don't have to tell you that I wasn't too sanguine on the chances of only Rook and I being able to defeat (or fend off) the creature, but apparently we were spared the agony of having to choose when another boat that had also been caught in the storm rammed into the shark. Only they rammed into it into one of the bone things on its face – I forgot to mention, it's called a Hammerhead. Because they have heads vaguely shaped like hammers, I guess – and in any case, they more or less wrecked their boat but succeeded in hurting the creature enough that it decided to leave.

Anyway, once we were all safely sheltered in Ayutthaya Harbour the princess commandeering the other boat decided to strike up a conversation with me. I'm still a little fuzzy on the details but apparently she found that I'm exploring the Yggdrasil Labyrinth right now and she decided she wanted to join up with me. When I attempted to dissuade her she simply reminded me that if it weren't for her and her crew we'd have been attacked by the Hammerhead shark. I decided against pointing out that if it weren't for Rook and the St. Eris her damaged ship would never have made it to safety. (And now I'm wondering if I should have done so after all.)

Now I have three more people on the ship who I've agreed (for the record, under duress) to allow into our guild, we're sailing back to Armoroad, and I've just now discovered that the princess is from _Stagarad_.

Alexis is going to kill me.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 10th of the Month of the Golden Eagle, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire

I am going to _kill_ Jules. Bad enough that he messes up the expenses (fixed easily enough once you figure out where he went wrong), then left on a ship without owning up to his mistakes (unbecoming of any leader, let alone a _Prince_), but when he comes back he's dragged along three new people whom he promised entry into our Guild? And they're all from _Stagarad_! And one of them is the Princess!

Does he have _any_ idea of the political fallout that's going to result from the princess of the Empire's _single biggest rival_ serving in the same Guild as us? And subservient (technically) to Jules too! And this is _without_ counting those rumours that Stagarad is proposing an alliance with the rest of the Western Shelf to form a united front against the Empire. What is the Emperor going to say once he learns of this?

Ugggghhhh. How did I even end up in this mess?

Right. We have – I can't even write this without severe feelings of nausea. We have three new Guild members.

Princess Juliana sel Arcadia Nordel Bathomys Dag is relatively skilled in combat using Rapiers. She's also well-read enough to cast basic spells using spellbooks – most notably the ability to prevent ailments like poison or paralysis from afflicting others. She's extremely… enthusiastic.

Wooster Albericht. A famed knight who once singlehandedly held a bridge against an invading horde for nearly six hours. I suppose he would be the natural choice for the bodyguard of the Princess. Extremely skilled with a spear – at least my equal, easily. However, he doesn't appear too bright. All in all, not an individual I see getting along with.

Zachary Efrons (asked us to refer to him as 'Zack') is a relative unknown. He's bright and cheery and doesn't fight with any orthodox style that I can identify. Generally a pleasant individual, but Juliana apparently trusts him and that's reason enough for me to be wary of him.

It's time like this where I wish I hadn't sworn off alcohol. But that was part of my vows, after all.

Tomorrow's Labyrinth venture…

I can't concentrate on this. I just… I need a break.

* * *

**Juliana**

Success! We've been accepted into a Guild! Now I just need to find out some way to ensure that my participation and contribution to their exploits gain sufficient prominence for me to make a name for myself!

I've had a look at the rest of my new compatriots, and most of them appear to be on the… undisciplined side? Well, there's that female knight who appears to be extremely dour but by and large the Prince running this Guild doesn't appear to keep a heavy hand on these people. Well, I suppose I'm not too harsh on Zack or Wooster either, am I?

Zack appeared eager to talk to some of the other guildmembers and see if he could make friends with them, and I certainly hope he ingratiates himself with them soon enough. Wooster, of course, is complaining about the lack of discipline and standards amongst the ranks. Well, I suppose he'll have to quiet down once they prove their worth in battle.

Speaking of battle! The beasts we faced before on the first floor weren't very difficult at all (I heard rumours of large ferocious cats but I had yet to run into any when we failed the mapmaking test), and I can't help but wonder if the rest of the Labyrinth will live up to its dreadful reputation.

Oh, this is so exciting! I should visit the local armouries and see if they have anything worth my while!

* * *

**Midori**

Wow.

The scroll Agata gave me has a whole _bunch_ of advanced techniques that I can use. I'm not even sure which one I should start studying first. Some of them sound a little frightening even, like the one that'll allow me to turn my opponents to stone. Do I really want to do that? It just feels harsh, even against monsters of the Labyrinth.

Well, I don't think I'll need it that soon, so I should just focus on mastering skills I already have some proficiency in. Creating those shadow clones is becoming easier – soon they should be able to act independently of each other. Heh. Rook is going to be in for a shock the next time we duel.

Also we got a bunch of new people into our Guild. One of them's a bona fide Princess! I mean, I know Master Jules is a Prince, but he never really acted much like it (aside from liking fancy meals, I guess). Well, this one does. The swordfighter with the red hair is pretty friendly too.

I noticed Dame Alexis looked extremely uncomfortable earlier around supper time. I asked her if there was anything I could help her with but she just shook her head and told me she was tired. I hope she doesn't push herself too hard.

* * *

**Zack**

I've never seen Lady Juliana look as ecstatic as when that guy (Jules, was that his name? Yeah, Jules) accepted him into her Guild. Now her dreams are on her way to becoming reality.

Most of the other Guild members are pretty friendly too. Like that chick with the fox mask. And the pirate dude with the rapier. And that redhead monk. And the kid astrologer (she's kinda young, though, isn't she?) And they look pretty good at fighting too. I was watching the monk girl go through some of her moves and they were blinding fast.

A couple of the others were more reticent. (Like that chick with the mace. She has a nasty look about her. And the male astrologer. Not nasty, just… quiet?) But they mostly keep to themselves, so if they don't bother me I won't bother 'em.

The future's looking bright for us!

* * *

**Rossa**

I just learnt that Big Brother's going to the 3rd floor tomorrow to look through some of the plants there. It's not supposed to be an official thing, so it's a small group. I think it's him, Melina, and the scary beast man.

I haven't been to the Labyrinth since that short stint with Adrian and Sidney the other day. I think I'll tag along and see what they're up to. Going through a round of Big Brother's scolding is probably worth getting some _action_. Besides, if I just keep hanging around the Guild, how'm I gonna prove that I'm worth keeping around?

* * *

**Geoffrey**

Thought for the Day: One must always be prepared to be called upon for a variety of tasks.

Dame Alexis claims that she is tired.

Left task of assigning party for tomorrow Labyrith venture to me.

Decided on a balanced set of skills.

I shall go.

Adrian shall go.

Sidney shall go.

Zack shall go.

Jared shall go.

The sixth floor is said to be immensely dangerous.

Task is to scout for any sources of danger. If possible to find pathway to seventh floor, do so.

(Note: Alexis asks that we avoid the Crocodiles.)


	29. Encountering Difficulties

Entry Twenty Nine

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Exhausted.

Ugh. Okay, so we had our big trip into the sixth floor today (Alexis and Jules didn't come along for some reason) and, well let's just say that we kindas sorta bit off more than we could chew.

It was actually going pretty well at first. We ran into some blew starfish that enjoyed shooting us with water, but nothing we couldn't handle. There was also some crab with a pretty tough shell, but we were able to smash through it with some effort.

But those currents? I guess it comes with being underwater and all, but those currents grab you and whisk you off down to who-knows-where and you get all disoriented and can't find your way back to where you started. (Thank goodness Master had the foresight to bring an Ariadne Thread.) The first time we stepped through one of these things Sidney ended up slamming into my back after we got out of it again. She apologized, though, and it really wasn't a big deal. The next time we ran into those currents we took turns going through one by one. None of them were really long, so we could get by without too much effort.

But then, those fishes. Those _fishes_. We saw a bunch of them circling around and decided to try our luck against one of them.

Turns out then when you take on one of them you take on all of them. The other two rushed us within the first few seconds of the fight and we found ourselves facing three of those buggers at once.

Turns out they also have some song that puts you to sleep or something? I wasn't too sure because apparently I was in dreamland within a couple seconds after it starting that tune. My head still feels a little woozy, to be honest. I woke up later with Master tapping me on the forehead (and since it was Master we're talking about, it felt more like a brick being hurled at high velocity than a 'tap'. I'm willing to acknowledge that it might be due to the splitting headache I had at the time, though.)

Turns out we had to pull off a hasty retreat after the fishes proved too tough for us. They didn't seem too aggressive though, so they didn't chase us beyond a certain point. Is this why everyone says the sixth floor is the Explorer's Graveyard? Doesn't look like it, actually… there's gotta be something else we haven't seen yet

Anyway, when I made it back to town, Pure had just made it back too. He was complaining the whole way about being jumped by giant snakes, so I guess he'd been to the fourth floor of the Labyrinth. I told him we'd found a spot on the sixth floor where he could gather stuff and he just made a face and a snarky comment about now he had even more running around to do. Kid's got no work ethic at all, I guess.

Right, time to get to training. We've got rock monsters of some kind in the fifth floor onwards, so that just means I'm going to have to be good enough to smash rocks with my bare hands, won't it? And I'll want a rematch with those fishes one day!

* * *

**Zack**

Ow. First Labyrinth exploration we had, and I nearly ended up biting it at the hands of a giant fish. Well, it was more like three giant fish, really. The pirate dude ended up saving me – he shot one of the fishes in the eye (well, each fish had six of them), and that ended up distracting it enough for me to get out of the way.

Still, according to the more experienced members, we did okay – got a decent amount of exploring done, have a decent amount of monster giblets to sell back at town, and, oh yeah, we're all still alive.

I can't wait to tell Lady Juliana about this. I'm sure she's excited to enter the Labyrinth too.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 11th of the Month of the Golden Eagle, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire

There was a commotion coming from Napier's firms today, around the same time I was heading there to deliver the latest batch of goods harvested from the Labyrinth, courtesy of Pure. Upon entering the establishment, who should I be presented with but Princess Juliana arguing furiously with the proprietor of the establishment.

Apparently (and I am painfully aware of how much this sounds like a trite joke about ignorant nobles) the lady Juliana had not grasped the concept of having to _pay_ for goods that she wished to acquire. One wonders what (if anything) her retainers have been teaching her about the world outside the palace walls.

In any case, I was forced to step in to resolve the issue with my _Guildmate_. It turns out she wanted a set of rather ornate armour, one whose actual worth in terms of combat I have my dobuts about. Regardless, I ended up having to pay for the useless thing. Once out of the store, I decided that it was time to lay down some ground rules about what she could and could not do while representing the Paragon Guild (hopefully we can also instruct her more on how to behave in a manner that won't cause people to stare, but that's likely to be an extended process) and while she seemed impatient, at least she appeared to be listening.

Then her knight showed up.

What followed was an extremely long argument between the him and me over what constituted 'proper behaviour' around the princess and I'm not proud to say that it was fairly close to degenerating into a shouting match before I decided that I didn't need to put up with any of this nonsense.

I need to ask Jules to get these people _out_ of our Guild.

* * *

**Juliana**

Well, today was a perfectly horrid day. First off, the storekeeper whose shop I graced with my presence seemed singularly obtuse about accepting my promises that the palace would eventually send her the full amount for any purchases I made there. Does she think of me or House Stagarad as untrustworthy? The nerve!

Well, before I could properly instruct her on the trustworthiness and honesty of all of our noble bloodline, Dame Alexis, one of the Guild's two primary leaders, entered and quickly diffused the situation by paying her upfront. I suppose she wishes to avoid undue conflict.

After that, she began to give me what amounted to a lecture on proper behaviour while in Armoroad. Some of the advice she gave was positively mindboggling, but I _suppose_ that if I wish to advance in the ranks I'll have to play by their rules.

I can safely say Wooster didn't see it that way, though. He's devoted to me almost to a fault, and apparently he decided that the way Dame Alexis was treating me wasn't respectful enough. (Well, it wasn't, but I'm magnanimous enough to let that slide) I have to say that nobody walked away from that encounter with a smile on their face.

At least I acquired a new set of armour out of this whole mess. And I won't even have to bill father for it.

* * *

**Rossa**

Wow! I did it! I saved Big Brother and the gang he was travelling with today! It was amazing!

So we were on the third floor of the Labyrinth, apparently trying to hunt down some kind of rare plant, when they accidentally disturbed one of the giant hippos roaming the area. I think they discussed amongst themselves what to do for a while, but they quickly settled on killing the thing.

Well, it turned out harder for them than they'd anticipated. Apparently the creature's hide was pretty tough (although the beast guy was able to call forth a… um, Mole of some sort that distracted the hippo). It wasn't so bad until the hippo suddenly did this charge thing that sent all of them flying – and then it turned around and started to head for Big Brother.

Well, I'm proud to say that my lightning spell got it right I the forehead! Okay, it wasn't powerful enough to _kill_ it, but it drove it berserk and distracted it from Big Brother, and the beast guy was able to finish it off with a stab to the neck.

Anyway, after that I had to come out of hiding and listen to Big Brother talk on and on about how dangerous it was for me to be sneaking off alone like that, and at the end of it I just grinned and told him that I'd saved his life, so maybe he shouldn't be such a stick in the mud.

It was kinda funny watching him turn purple with anger. Almost the same shade as his coat, really.

* * *

**Melina**

We were able to defeat one of the Raging Tyrants today (albeit with help we didn't know we had), and my only question is: Why would a beast like that have a book with it?


	30. Discontent

Entry Thirty

* * *

**Wooster**

This environment is clearly unsuited for the lady. The members of this guild have absolutely no idea how to treat royalty, especially that lady knight. You'd think her training would have prepared her better. But her tone towards the lady was blatantly harsh and critical. That obviously could not stand, but when I challenged her she refused to back down.

I see I shall have to keep a closer eye on her Majesty in the future to prevent further shocks to her delicate sensibilities.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 12th of the Month of the Golden Eagle, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire

Well, my talk with His Majesty today was rather unproductive. He's not any happier with the inclusion of the princess of Stagarad than I am, but apparently he'd given his word that they would be allowed into the guild or something to that effect.

Of all times for his lessons about 'his word of honour' to stick. In any case, it appears that I shall have to put up with the princess and her compatriots (although in all fairness Zack appears easy enough to get along with) for the foreseeable future.

With that in mind, I've begun preparations for our next foray into the Labyrinth. I've been slacking off from my duties for the past two days, and that needs to rectified.

I suppose I'll have Juliana accompany me for this journey. It might be better to get used to her style of combat while we're in a relatively benign portion of the Labyrinth. I also think I won't want her attendants along, at least not so soon. Better to deal with them on an individual basis.

* * *

**Asmodeus**

Humiliated by my sister in front of my other Guildmates. Yesterday was not a good day. The fact that she was so _cheeky_ about it did not help matters.

Even in something as physically demanding as Labyrinth exploring, Rossa manages to show me up. Ugh. As always, my sister proves herself to be more trouble than she is worth.

I'm not supposed to care about this sort of thing. I just

My only task is to get to the bottom of the Labyrinth. Once I've returned to Sovelude Rossa can be shunted off to whatever class befits the _prodigies_ and I won't have to deal with her any longer.

Horoscope: What you do not seek is not what you will not find.

Huh. It changed. Does that mean that the previous prediction has already come to pass?

* * *

**Rook**

Whoo. The encounter with the Hammerhead really did a number on the St. Eris. This will definitely take some patching up. Oh well, at least Mueller's managed to get me some of his more reliable shipwrights to work on the thing.

We've got a third ship in the dock, though, and wouldn't you know it, it's the fanciest of the lot. I guess that's what happens when you let a bona fide princess into our Guild. (I mean, I know Jules is also a prince and all, but he doesn't act all that much like it. He doesn't have a heck of a lot of the regalia with him either.) The 'HMS Tranquility' doesn't much live up to its name right now, what with the prow half torn off from ramming into the Hammerhead. I consider it a small miracle we managed to bring it back to Armoroad in one piece at all. (The princess was particularly insistent on _that_. Something about her father giving it to her for her thirteenth birthday or something.) Whatever else, it won't be seaworthy for a good while yet.

Midori came by after I'd finished at Inver for the day, asking if I wanted a duel or something else to practice with. Hate to turn a pretty lady down, but I wasn't feeling up to it just then, and I didn't want her getting an easy win in the tally against me, you know?

We got to chatting and she showed me a scroll the ninja kid from the other guild had given her. Heh. Ninjas have all these fancy techniques and stuff to fight with – I kinda learnt everything I know freestyle on the oceans. Like how to tell an opponent's blind points and weak spots. You pick those up quickly on the high seas or you don't make it. Midori told me that when you want to learn one of these Ninja techniques it takes her several hours every day just focusing on that single skill the whole time. Man, I'm not sure I could do it that way.

We decided to hit one of the grease eateries for dinner, and along the way I noticed Midori was walking with a bit of a limp. Hardly noticeable until you actually notice it, and then you can't look away. You know how it is. I asked her about it but she just waved it off, saying that she'd be right as rain soon enough.

I don't know, though. It looked pretty serious. Maybe I should have Geoffrey take a look at it.

* * *

**Pure**

Today's profit: 560 en

Dunno what to say about today, to be honest. On one hand, great haul in terms of cash. On the other… getting ambushed by sentient plants and giant snakes and screaming deer is never fun.

Gods, what have I even gotten myself into? I thought this gig would be a way to get myself some quick cash in a steady job with a bunch of rookies. But this Guild's tearing up the place. I think they're, what third or fourth fastest on record for reaching the second stratum? And of course I can't put off helping them forage for stuff from that place forever. I've never even _been_ to the second stratum before. I hear that some of things there have unreal teeth. I don't want to see unreal teeth.

(X)

Just got word that I'm scheduled for a dive to the fifth floor tomorrow. Figures. Got Adrian and her old Master as my bodyguards. Double figures.

At least Melina's sitting this one out, so I won't have to endure her constant nagging. And Alexis is heading even deeper into the second stratum, so I won't have her hovering over me. Definitely a plus.

Now I don't care if it's six in the evening, I'm going to go get sloshed.

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Introspective, I guess

I found Pure heading off to the pub earlier in the evening and I managed to talk him into coming with dinner with Sidney and me instead (mostly by promising to pay for his portion of the meal). He's going to destroy his liver at this rate. I guess it is kinda stressful for a kid like him to keep getting sent into a maze where dozens of monsters are waiting to tear you to pieces. (The last time I went in for a training session, the Great Anaconda I killed had pieces of an arm in its mouth. Kind of a sobering reminder. Also, I guess it's pretty telling I consider him a kid when the Guild records say he's just one year younger than I am.)

Anyway, over dinner I promised that he didn't have to worry his little blonde head because I'd be there to protect him. Come to think of it, I've been his bodyguard pretty often. Well, monsters seem to be drawn to him like a magnet, so I guess there's plenty of practice for me and it all works out in the end.

And instead of beer I made him one of my veggie energy drinks. We had to apologize to the restaurant owner and clean up the stain on the wall for him after that, but it was worth it for the expression on Pure's face. (And if he'd only drunk a bit more he'd be raring to go come tomorrow morning. Oh well.)

* * *

**Atahualpa**

The wounds I sustained from my battle with the great beasts of the third floor are healing slowly. In the meantime, I've taken to spending time with the mole and getting it to build its trust with me.

Whenever I emerge from the depths of the sea in the Labyrinth I always feel disconcerted. Life in the trees and plains have not prepared me for spending time in the depths. But it is a challenge I shall rise to.

Tension is thick in the air at our Guild. Apparently the appearance of our newest recruits have been the cause of some discontent. I can only pray this ill wind blows over soon.

Ahul, disagreements between parties will always happen. But you must always be certain to prevent them from spilling into harsh conflict.

* * *

**Juliana**

My first Labyrinth venture tomorrow! (Well, my first [i]real[/i] Labyrinth venture. Mapping the first floor doesn't count. It was a stupid, pointless affair anyway.) I'm supposed to be going in with that female knight, her lord, and… oh, I'm not too sure about the other two yet.

Zack just stopped by to wish me luck and told me that I'd do fine. Wooster also stopped by to express concern about whether I'd be fine with going without him to back me up. I told him I appreciated the sentiment but my other companions appear to be well-versed in combat.

I'm so excited I can barely sleep! I'll have to make a good show of myself tomorrow!


	31. A Night Under the Ocean Waves

Entry Thirty One

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 13th of the Month of the Golden Eagle, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire

We got off to a late start earlier today, owing partly to Lady Juliana's new set of armour requiring a ridiculous amount of time to properly buckle up. In the interests of fairness, all of us had things that needed to be done before we set out anyway, and we've been able to handle the trek fairly well thus far.

In any case, by the time we reached the point where Geoffrey and his team had left off on their last venture, it was nearly nightfall. Our attempts to forge ahead into the depths yielded two significant discoveries. First, we met with the lady Olympia once more, who informed us about a potential cache of treasure down a path. Potentially interesting, but not our main goal. I marked down the direction on the map regardless – the area we've explored doesn't appear to have a path that will lead to the seventh floor, so maybe it lies down the route she pointed out.

More immediately useful was the discovery of a camping ground in the Labyrinth. Seeing as it had been dark for quite some time, I decided it best that we spend the night in the Labyrinth and get an early start with continuing our trek. Clay appeared the most agreeable to spending a night under the stars (or… under the ocean waves, I suppose), enough that I suspect she definitely has experience with that sort of thing. By contrast, both Jules and Juliana appear rather unhappy with the whole affair and Relena has thus far been silent as the grave aside from acknowledging commands and giving terse sentences of warning.

In any case, I've decided to keep first watch for the night and now here I am, sitting by the light of the campfire (a campfire under the waves. How bizarre.) and writing.

Lady Juliana performed passably well, I have to admit. Her rapier, while sadly unsuited for dealing with the living coral, has proved itself able to handle the starfish and puffers in the vicinity without much issue. Apparently she'd gone to Napier's to place a fire enchantment on the weapon before setting out, which was a good bit of foresight. However, her personality is, for lack of a better term, excitable. Particularly during the evening meal, she absolutely refused to keep quiet about her surroundings. I understand she is excited about venturing into the Labyrinth, but a bit of decorum from a supposed Princess would have been nice. Also, she doesn't appear to have noticed anything wrong with a prince from the Holy Empire and a princess from Stagarad sitting down together for a meal, but then again I'm not entirely sure she ever realized where we've come from in the first place. In any case that's a problem I've no wish to aggravate right now.

Clay looked especially hostile and resentful tonight. I'm not really sure why. Relena is Relena, as always. I'm beginning to feel I picked the worst possible companions for an overnight stay in the Labyrinth.

Aside from his Majesty, of course.

* * *

**Clay**

Bloody hell. First official trip into the Labyrinth in a while I get stuck with _two_ of the royal brats with me.

Well, I did my best to ignore them and I got myself a fair number of beast kills to my name. Man, most of these squirts aren't anything to the fights I had back in the ring. Not that I want to go back to that, of course. Never, ever.

Drew the second watch. Alexis took off her armour (I gotta admit I still can't figure out how she moves in that damn thing) and crawled into her sleeping bag after waking me up, but she's still awake and alert. I can tell.

Gotta admit it's nice to have someone as sharp as her on my side, even if she _is_ an insufferable asshat.

On the other hand, the royal brats were complaining the whole time about the hard ground and it being cold and all that other nonsense. Shit, a chance to lie back in peace and quiet in a deserted spot, without having to keep one eye open? Give me that over a fucking palace anyday.

* * *

**Jules**

After drawing third watch, Alexis decided to accompany me during my watch despite my insistence that I would be fine on my own. (She said she had her doubts. I suppose she has a right to that after seeing the way I've behaved in the past.) That, and she'd packed an extra cloak for me since she knows that I hate the cold and that I wouldn't have the foresight to pack it myself.

We didn't talk much throughout the night. Mostly just sat there, kept the fire going, and waited for our shift to be over. It's funny how comfortable it can feel when you can just sit next to someone without having to say anything, and just… I dunno, _be_ there.

How long's it been since we set out from the Empire again? We've been Armoroad for around a month, if I have my dates right. I wouldn't have lasted a week without Alexis, that much's for certain.

Just makes it all the nicer that I landed another headache right on her lap not three days ago, huh. I don't see any way to fix that problem for her – I may be a prince, but I don't have any real clout, what with all the elder brothers and sisters I have. And even I'm not stupid enough to poke a powder keg that would result in the Empire and Stagarad going to war.

I'll need to do better. If not for my own sake, then Alexis'. I'm not going to have all the time and energy she's spent on supporting me be in vain.

* * *

**Pure**

Today's Profit: 720 en

If I'm the bodyguard, why'd I end up being the one who had to carry Adrian out of the Labyrinth like a sack of wheat? And this in addition to lugging out all the stuff I collected from the second stratum too. And it's mostly ore and rock, so it's even heavier.

Long story short, we ran into one of those High Onnep things on the way out, and I strongly suspect that those were what they had in mind when they talked about the unreal teeth. Adrian got careless or unlucky while fighting the thing and it managed to tear her a new one. Literally. There was thing weird, wet 'splutch' sound and then there was blood everywhere. Sidney quickly finished the thing off with a bolt to the head while the old guy went to work on healing his pupil. He managed to get her outta mortal danger, but she won't be making Labyrinth dives for a while.

Sidney just stopped by to let me know that she's going to the clinic to visit Adrian. I guess I should go along too? I mean, she was fighting to protect me and all…

Maybe I'll make her a drink. I think she doesn't like alcohol, so maybe some fruit juice or something.

* * *

**Midori**

The boy at the inn was all excited about getting a letter in a bottle from overseas. It was adorable. He even asked me what to right to reply to his new pen pal. Unfortunately, I wasn't really sure so I told him to wait in the inn while I asked around for opinions.

Well, I got 'em after a quick trek around town. Stuff to write about included his family, his work, his hobbies, and his goals and other random trivia. I think the poor kid was looking a little overwhelmed by the time I got through the list of options, but at least we both know he won't have to worry about his letter being too short. (I gotta wonder how he intends to send it, though. Was there an address in the letter?)

Oh, and he also thanked me for the help but cutting storage fees in half for our Guild. Awesome! Now I can buy even [i]more[/i] fox masks to keep in there! There was this _adorable_ one at a bazaar earlier. I think I'll go buy it now!

(X)

It's nightfall and Master Jules and Dame Alexis aren't back yet. Rook mentioned that they ended up setting out late, so I guess they're spending the night in the Labyrinth? I hope they'll be all right. But then again, Dame Alexis is one of the more competent people I know, so there shouldn't be much trouble, right?

… Whenever I think about them on the sixth floor, I get this funny feeling in my stomach, and the wound I got from the Bog Lurker aches a little bit more. I'm not sure why, but I just don't feel comfortable with them down there. Maybe I just haven't been getting enough sleep.

* * *

**Juliana**

I have to admit to being somewhat startled when they included me in the lots for who would be taking turns keeping watch, but I suppose it would be improper for me to speak out and mention that I needed my beauty rest. In any case, I drew the last watch, so I'll be awake until the others arise.

Aside from that, it's been a perfectly wonderful trip so far. Zack's suggestion of enchanting my blade with fire proved to be spot on. I think I'll study how to do these enchantments on the go, so I'll never be caught unprepared.

Also, that strange girl with the cloak spoke of hidden treasures and secrets down the side alcove. I wonder what's in there? I have to admit it's piqued my interest! When we set out again we'll have to pay a visit to that site, if only to ascertain the truth of her claim.

It really was a stroke of fortune that I managed to find my way into this guild!


	32. Blood Pain

Entry Thirty Two

* * *

**Rook**

Oh hell. Oh _hell_.

Alexis and the others who set out late last afternoon appeared in the town square around noon looking like they'd been through a meat grinder. Only Alexis and Relena were actually clinging on to consciousness, and not for much longer, if I didn't miss my guess.

Anyway, we shuttled them off to the clinic immediately (Geoffrey was around, and he showed alarm on his face. That's pretty rare, and I'm pretty sure it's a bad thing whenever he does that.) but not before Alexis was able to croak out something about her being all right and that they needed to look after Jules. I don't want to act like I'm being flippant about all this, but somehow I wasn't surprised.

Anyway, it was several tense hours (not helped by Wooster constantly muttering something about how they'd all let Juliana down) before anyone was able to come out of that room and tell us that they'd be okay.

Well, okay in the sense that they won't die. But most of them won't be getting up for a while. Most of their armour and equipment was wrecked, too. Damn. Whatever they ran into down there… it was bad.

Well, hopefully one of them regains coherence soon enough for us to figure out just what the heck went down in there. Either that, or I'll have to lead a team in myself to figure out what the heck happened.

* * *

**Geoffrey**

Thought for the Day: In a crisis, a cool head is your greatest tool

Alexis and Jules returned from their exploration. They had all sustained massive wounds.

Immediately sent them to the clinic for emergency treatment.

Was allowed into the clinic to assist in their treatment. Also to check up on Alexis.

Wounds sustained by Alexis and the others are similar to wounds we received by fighting the Wanderers on the sixth floor.

Unlikely for Alexis to have challenged them without being prepared. She is a cautious one.

Exact events of what occurred underwater remain a mystery. Most of them are recuperating now.

I shall have to continue to monitor them closely.

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Tired

Heh. All that big talk about protecting others and I got myself a new scar down the side. Oh well. I'm still alive, but Master's said no heavy work for a while. Guess it was going to happen sooner or later.

Pure and Sidney dropped by again (Pure brought more of the fruit juice from yesterday. Gotta repay him when I'm up and about again.) and they told me that Alexis somehow got messed up even _worse_ than I did. And not just her. _Everyone_ in her party got the shit kicked out of them, and it's so bad that no one's been able to get a coherent report out of them yet.

Damn. I mean, I'm pretty good, but I've seen Alexis in a fight. She doesn't go down easy. What the heck could've done that to her?

I know Master won't be happy to know I'm thinking this, but somehow, knowing that there're even more powerful things down there waiting for us just gets me [i]more[/i] excited. Apprehensive, too, I guess. But having things to constantly test myself against… I like that.

But still, first thing is making sure I (and the others) get back on our feet.

* * *

**Zack**

Damn.

Lady Juliana's been badly wounded. I'm not even sure who – or what – did that to her. All I know is that she was bleeding heavily when they warped back into town, and she was unconscious.

Of course, the rest of them weren't in a much better state. At least the first people on the scene (Rook, Geoffrey, Jared, and Midori, I believe.) were able to get them emergency treatment quickly.

I'm gonna have to train myself up – then once I get back down there… I'm gonna find whoever it was who did this to Lady Juliana and _end_ him.

* * *

**Midori**

Everyone was wounded. Everyone almost died.

Why does my head hurt so much? I can't concentrate on anything. I keep thinking about the second stratum, the sixth floor, the rocky paths, and the fish with six eyes.

The fish? Six eyes? Why

* * *

**Jared**

Relena's stable now. That's good. I don't wanna think about what would've happened if I'd lost her. Of the five of 'em, only Alexis and her were able to stand when they came back. Always knew she was a fighter, that one.

When I was dragging her off to the infirmary, she managed to whisper one word into my ear. 'Ambushed'.

What the hell? Did some other Guild decide to attack them for shits? Most of the mosnters in the 'Brinth aren't smart enough to get out of the way when we come through, never mind an ambush? Who the heck could've done that?

Well, whoever it is, once I get my hands on them, they are going to pay.


	33. Moment of Epiphany

Entry Thirty Three

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 15th of the Month of the Golden Eagle, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire

Right arm broken, seven lacerations along various parts of my body – one across my back that will leave a permanent scar. Severe concussion (getting repeatedly slammed on the head by giant fish tails will do that to you, I suppose), three fractured ribs, ligaments in right leg torn, both black eyes, multiple bruises all over my body.

And a sprained ankle. I forgot about that earlier.

We had been moving down the passage to the spot Olympia had pointed out for us on the map, mostly at the urgings of Juliana since, in her own words, 'she wanted to check it out'. In fairness, we'd been unable to locate an entrance to the sixth floor regardless, so we decided that we might as well head down that route, getting waylaid by stray underwater currents all the while.

Eventually we came to a chamber at the far end of the room, and the first thing we noticed was the torn, bloody equipment scattered all across the room. And the blood everywhere, as well. Before we could properly examine the area to determine what had occurred, we were rushed by several giant fish, and we were forced into a fight for our lives.

The battle was… well, to say we were _completely_ outmatched would be stretching it, but the creatures were definitely powerful, and we had already had the misfortune of being caught by surprise. After a while, the events became a blur, aside from His Majesty being thrown into the wall of the cavern at one point. Eventually, we were able to buy ourselves enough of a reprieve (and I think we slew three of the creatures first) to activate the Ariadne Thread and retreat from the grotto.

I'm told that in terms of number of wounds sustained, I'm probably the worst of the lot. His Majesty did not receive any major injuries aside from the blow to the head that knocked him unconscious, thank the Goddess. Relena's focus on evasive skills also served her well – she received several wounds, but nothing life-threatening.

Juliana and Clay, though… they're still unconscious as I write this. I have to admit the armour she purchased certainly proved her worth – it was probably what enabled her to survive a body charge from one of the creatures. Clay's fighting style tends to emphasize a focus on offense at the cost of defence, and in this particular instance she paid for it.

I've been informed that Rook has led a team into the Labyrinth to try and ascertain what the danger is. If I'd been awake before he left I could've given him advice regarding what to do. It appears certain to me now that this ambush was engineered by Olympia for some reason, and I can only hope he won't fall into the trap of trusting her.

I wish I could visit Jules, but the doctors (and Geoffrey) have insisted on strict bed-rest for at least one more day. Geoffrey was able to assure me that Jules was in far better shape than I was, and that _he_ would be along to visit me presently. Until then, I suppose I'm left with my journal and taking a long sleep.

* * *

**Melina**

Ms. Alexis woke up at around noon earlier! That's wonderful! The first thing she asked was how the Prince was doing, of course. Later Geoffrey went in to question her, and while I didn't get to hear the whole story, it supposedly involved a bunch of giant fishes swarming them. That sounds… scary.

My dad once told me about the time he and mom were swarmed by a pack of wolves. They weren't strong individually, but when they worked together they nearly overwhelmed both of my parents. It sounds pretty similar to what they went through here, actually.

But they survived! And so did Ms. Alexis and her companions. In fact… with so many Guilds before her having mysteriously vanished around the sixth floor, does it mean that she's went through what they did but got out alive? That's… _wow_. The sixth floor's called the Explorer's Graveyard for a reason, after all.

Now we just need to wait for her to recover fully.

* * *

**Rook**

Well, I guess we have a face to pin this little misadventure on after all.

We were making our way through the sixth floor, and I don't mind telling you everyone was a little jumpy at running into whatever it was that had messed the others up so badly. I think Sidney unloading explosive rounds into everything that looked at us funny was _slight_ overkill, but nothing that bad.

And then we ran into Olympia. When she saw us, she smiled and asked us if we were looking for other members of the Paragon Guild, before pointing down a corridor and saying that she'd seen them head down that path, and that if we wanted to find them we should probably head that way.

Well, I replied with something along the lines of 'Oh, don't worry, they made it back okay, we're just trying to figure out what exactly wounded them so badly'.

Well I thought she was just about going to have an aneurysm. Also the first words out of her mouth were 'They survived?' which is pretty damning as far as outing yourself goes. Then she said something about 'not going any further' if we knew what was good for us before she ran off further into the forest. Also her moving revealed a path I hadn't seen before, so I guess she was trying to cover it up for some reason.

So now that we had a culprit to blame this mess on I elected to head back because I don't need to discover what exactly the trap was. Apparently everyone else in the party agreed with me on that count. When we returned to town we found out that Alexis, Jules, and Relena were well on their way to recovery. That's good.

Midori seems pretty out of it right now. I should probably talk to her and see if everything's okay.

* * *

**Jules**

I paid a visit to Alexis, and I'll be honest – I was actually kinda shocked by how frail she looked. Lying on the bed, bandaged from head to toe (not that I'm much better at the moment, I guess), too tired to do more than hold a brief conversation with me. And it's mostly because she was protecting me that she ended up the way she did.

Before I visited her room I got some of the stewed buns I know she likes (well, I asked Melina to go help me buy them, since I'm not allowed out of the clinic proper), but she was too tired to really eat very much. As I was leaving I noticed that she had another full page in her journal. I don't know why she insisted on keeping up to date with it if she was already so exhausted to begin with.

Knowing Alexis, she'll want to move ahead with exploration before very long. I'll need to ask Geoffrey how long she needs to stay confined to the bed. I don't want her overextending herself.

(X)

Rook just came back with a report that it was the girl – Olympia – was definitely the one behind this, although how she commanded those fishes remains a mystery. (For all we know, she could've known that it was their territory and sent us there.) We'll probably need to make a report to the Senatus about this. There're more than enough monsters in the Labyrinth out for my head, I don't need other people trying to kill me too.

Right, Guild finances. I almost forgot.

Expenses on Medical Fees: 1275 en

Expenses on Equipment: 410 en (We're going to need to replace almost everything we brought down with us. That's going to be a doozy)

Expenses, Misc: 300 en

Income from Labyrinth Goods: 1034 en

Income from Sea Goods: 234 en

Total Profit: -717 en

Current Total Funds: 6257 en

* * *

**Midori**

I remember now. I remember everything.

I was part of the Orochi Guild. One of their newest members. One of their weakest.

That same trap. We'd ran into the exact same damn trap and when everyone else around me was dead… I ran. Evidently I didn't get very far though. When they found me back in Armoroad I was heavily wounded and unconscious

My old Guild was slaughtered. And I wasn't even able to warn my new one about the trap. What have… what am I doing?

Rook just told me that the girl Olympia is the one who did this. The one who set up the trap, the one who kept sending Guild after Guild to their deaths.

I'm going to get stronger. I'm going to hunt down Olympia myself, and when I find her I am going to make her pay for everything – for every[i]one[/i] she's killed.

I swear this. For Satomi, Tristan, and everyone else. I _will_ avenge them.

* * *

**Sidney**

Monsters Killed: High Onnep x 2, Red Starfish X 7

Items Collected: Jutting Tusk x 1

Didn't bring back many items today, but then we weren't focused on gathering at all. The long and short of it is that a girl named Olympia was the one responsible for luring Alexis and the others into a trap. And if what she tried with us is any indication, she's been pulling this off for a while.

The sixth floor was always a massive roadblock for explorers. Now we know why. The Senatus needs to know about this – once Olympia's planned ambushes are out of the picture, more people will be able to delve further down and find the Deep City. And then Armoroad will be that much closer to being restored.

Come to think of it, why would Olympia want to prevent Explorers from finding the Deep City. I should ask the other Guilds about what they know about her.

Went to check up on Adrian again. She's doing well, aside from being driven out of her mind with boredom. Was kinda surprised by Pure being there already when I came in. Turned out she _really_ likes his fruit juice and asked him to bring more of it. Wonder how he makes it.


	34. This and That VI

Entry Thirty Four

* * *

**Jules**

I went down to the Senatus, and they took the news that a girl in the Labyrinth is deliberately engineering ambushes to kill explorers about as well as can be expected. There's now an official bounty on Olympia's head and judging from the sentiments of the rest of the Guild, they're more than willing to try and track her down.

Not that the Senatus isn't willing to take matters into their own hands, of course. Earlier there was a regiment or so of soldiers heading into the Labyrinth with orders to capture or kill Olympia. I know I'm probably not really qualified to judge, but most of them looked pretty green. I don't think sending them to the second stratum immediately is a good idea.

In other news, Alexis was well enough for an official Guild meeting today, so we convened (minus Clay, who has yet to wake up. Juliana was present, although the amount of painkillers made her contributions spotty at best.) around lunchtime. Geoffrey was placed in charge of management of the Guild for the time being (Alexis insisted she could handle it, but everyone else agreed they wanted her to rest and recover that much faster.), and Rook will be taking another team down to try to locate the seventh floor.

It wasn't hard to detect higher tensions amongst our group, and it was also largely understandable why. I guess the understanding that a thinking being is out to get you is different from a random monster hunting you down because it think you'd make a good meal. So I can only surmise that whoever goes down there will end be on high alert. I hope they're not _too_ jumpy, though. We don't need frayed nerves and stress for everyone.

Later during the afternoon I went to pay another visit to Alexis. I told her that unlike everyone else who joined the Guild, she has absolutely no contractual obligations to the Guild. She referred to the Oath of Allegiance she'd sworn and I pointed out that it was to the Emperor, not to me. Eventually I just said the point was that she didn't need to feel obligated to stay, and could leave anytime if she so wished.

She put the book she had been reading down, looked me in the eye, and told me that she was here, by my side, because she wanted to be, and for no other reason.

We didn't say much after that. Eventually Alexis drifted off to sleep and put the book away for her before going back to her room.

When I get back I'll need to ask pull some strings to give her a raise. Or a promotion. Or something.

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Full of Energy

Yes! Finally got out of the clinic today! Man oh man, am I ever glad to be out of there. The whole place was too… I dunno, stale. There was a funny smell in the air, like people just went there to wait for death. Sheesh, I'm getting morbid when I should be out there celebrating!

I was told not to push myself too much for another couple of days, so I stuck to the more basic routines without going into the advanced stuff Master taught me. Was surprisingly tired out by the end of it, so maybe my body hasn't recovered as much as I'd like to think.

The town was really busy today, from what I could see, a lot of soldiers were preparing to enter the Labyrinth and hunt down that Olympia girl, and I have to admit that I don't half feel like doing it myself. Rook's headed down tomorrow again, but he's not bringing me along yet. No worries, I don't think they'll find her quite so soon. I'll just focus on getting myself back into tip-top shape.

* * *

**Wooster**

Why is no one else concerned with the plight of Lady Juliana as I am? Don't they know that she is currently suffering? Why does no one else see this?

Even the Lady herself does not appear to understand the startling lack of reference shown her. Today they dragged her out to a meeting despite her being badly wounded. What brutes, to place random administrative matters over her health!

I continue to have my doubts about us ever joining this Guild. How can I possibly approve of this when they have no idea how to deal properly with royalty?

* * *

**Juliana**

They held a meeting today to help determine what the Guild should do in the short term. I was offered the chance to remain in bed and the rest of the decisions would be passed down to me later, but naturally, I declined. I prefer to get my knowledge firsthand, such as it goes.

Of course, I had to admit that I wasn't at my best throughout the conversation, and I'm not sure my contributions ultimately amounted to much. Still, I was present, and that must count for something.

My abdomen still aches horribly. The doctors have informed me that I don't need to worry about 'internal bleeding', but that doesn't help the fact that it's difficult to focus on anything else when it's so painful.

Zack and Wooster visited me earlier. Zack mostly wished me good luck, adding laughingly that it's quite a change from when we first met. I have to admit that I smiled a bit at that sentiment. Wooster, naturally, was all full of complaints about how I was only in this situation because the others didn't protect me enough. To be honest, I can't recall much of the battle at all, but given that everyone else was at least as severely wounded as I was, I doubt that they'd left me to fend for myself.

Oh, I wish this recovery process could be shortened. How am I going to keep exploring the Labyrinth otherwise?

* * *

**Rossa**

There was a pretty boring meeting today. Well, it wasn't any worse than one of Professor Fairey's lectures, though, so I was able up keep up pretty well.

After the talk we split up and I wanted to go practice my spells when Rook came up to me and asked if I would like to join them on their journey tomorrow. Would I! I know Ms. Alexis wouldn't approve, so I guess I'll have to make the most of this chance when I go in tomorrow. I guess it might not be the best thing, to feel glad about Alexis being too wounded to oversee the operations, but right now I'll take what I can get.

* * *

**Asmodeus**

This Olympia seems extremely eager to prevent people from venturing deeper in to finding the Deep City.

If there truly is nothing there, as I believe, then there should be no reason to hide anything. Perhaps I have been wrong about the Deep City having vanished eons ago. I will need to keep an eye out for more evidence of the Deep City's existence. I wonder if I could find any artefacts in the Labyrinth.

Horoscope: You do not have as much control as you believe. Be careful.

Now I have a bad feeling about all this.


	35. Recovery and Resolve

Entry Thirty Five

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 17th of the Month of the Golden Eagle, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire

Clay regained consciousness early this morning shortly before Rook departed. Her first words were something about 'never going back there again, and I'll fucking chop my legs off before you throw me out into the ring again'. And then she punched the doctor who was attending to her in the jaw.

I dearly wish I could claim I was surprised.

In a happier turn of events, I've recovered enough to venture out of the clinic and check up on our Guild. Most of them appear to be faring relatively well – Pure and Melina have continued to provide a steady flow of income into our Guild. Less reassuring is that His Majesty's updating of our finances has been rather inconsistent of late. I'll need to remind him of that.

And now begins the rather arduous task of replacing all the equipment we lost. The 3000 en worth of equipment we stockpiled has become obsolete remarkably quickly. I'll talk with the proprietor of Napier's Firm for a discount in a bulk purchase, but honestly I doubt it'll have any effect.

I visited Jules, and he appeared to be studying several spellbooks. I am not well-versed enough in the arcane to tell what spells he was attempting to study, unfortunately. To be honest, I wanted to ask him about why he went on yesterday about me being able to leave when I wish. Does he doubt my loyalty? But ultimately I decided against raising that issue. There'll be a better time for that sort of thing.

I feel utterly useless like this. Moving too much hurts, and I don't have any way to aid the Guild. I can only pray to the Goddess for a speedy recovery.

* * *

**Rook**

Good news, bad news time, I guess.

Good news was that we found the entrance to the seventh floor of the Labyrinth. Rossa was actually pretty helpful, since I guess many of the beasts of the Labyrinth aren't too used to dealing with Fire. She was pretty frail physically, though, so our progress wasn't the fastest. Nobody complained much actually.

Bad news is, the seventh floor is filled with these sea dragons things that are a damn sight tougher than anything we've seen so far. We didn't get into battle with one ourselves, but we ran into a group of soldiers the Senatus had sent down here battling one of the things. Apparently they'd gotten their rears handed to them by the dragon and were fleeing for their lives. Just our luck to have been caught up in the chase. Rossa wasn't good enough to keep up with the rest of us so Zack had to scoop her up and carry her while we ran. I think she was a little humiliated by that.

Worst news is that the soldiers we ran into are the lucky ones. There're corpses all over the place. Most of the poor bastards they sent down here aren't equipped to deal with the starfish, never mind the High Onneps and Walruses and whatnot. Met that Kujura dude and apparently he agrees with me on that too. He's on the verge of simply ordering a general recall and leaving hunting Olympia to seasoned explorers.

Meaning us, I suppose. Although I don't feel that seasoned after all. Heh.

Midori was pretty quiet during our trek today. She's still got that limp, but she seemed to perform well enough in the Labyrinth. But she's… I dunno, driven? I wonder what that's about. I tried asking her about it when we got back from the Labyrinth but she shook her head and told me that she'd tell me some other time. I hope she's feeling okay.

Time to go pass my findings off to Alexis. Wounded or not she's still our leader. She'll probably want to know more about those dragon things too. So that's three different kinds of monsters we're not sure about in the second stratum alone – the crocodiles, the giant fish, and the now the dragons.

Well we're in for the long haul, aren't we?

* * *

**Zack**

Today's Labyrinth venture was pretty uneventful. When I got back I saw Lady Juliana sitting at her desk reading some letters from home. I guess it's to be expected that she's homesick. Also she got beaten pretty badly in the Labyrinth, so I guess it's also a blow to her pride.

I'm not really sure what popped into my head, but I suggested going out for a hunt. Something to get her mind off things, maybe restore her self-confidence. Well, she seemed interested, we got to talking, and well, long story short, we decided to try taking on the Hammerhead Shark around Ayutthaya.

She decided to go ask Jules and Alexis to join her on this hunt, using the logic that it was encountering the Hammerhead Shark that was what allowed for us to meet up in the first place. I'm not sure, but I think Alexis' grinding her teeth. Not sure what that was about, but anyway, Jules pointed out that the three of them hadn't fully recovered yet.

Lady Juliana was adamant, though, and eventually we agreed on setting out in a couple of days. This should either be a great victory, or… well, a disaster. Let's hope it's the former. We could all use a bit of cheering up after the trouncing we've taken after the past couple of days.

* * *

**Geoffrey**

Thought for the Day: Too much curiosity can be a bad thing

Received a request to observe fauna behaviour in the second stratum at night.

Shall plan an expedition soon. Wonder what sort of location he has in mind.

Adrian has recovered fully. That is good.

She has boundless energy. I only wish I could teach her to redirect that energy to productive pursuits.

She has been spending more time with the Arbalist Sidney, and the Farmer Pure. That is good. She should interact with others approximately her age.

My greatest wish is that she grows up to be strong woman like her mother.

* * *

**Tinker**

Finally found a Guild that doesn't look half bad! And they shouldn't have any reason for turning me down. I mean, they go into the Labyrinth to kill things, and I'm good at killing things. By blowing them up. So this should be a good match, right?

And anyway, there was no reason to kick me out of the Navy. I mean, so what if I brought too much gunpowder onboard? It's not like anyone got killed! And all the damage to the ship could be fixed. Plus I figured out how to make my latest concoctions more stable, so that sort of thing wouldn't happen again. Theoretically, anyway.

Guess I'm nervous about how they'll see me. Chin up, Dwayne! You'll never get this job if you don't believe you will!


	36. New Recruits VI

Entry Thirty Six

* * *

**Wooster**

I've just been informed that we're going off to attempt a hunt on that Hammerhead shark creature. If that is what Lady Juliana wants, then I shall support her in that endeavour. Although I must confess that I'm not entirely comfortable with going out alongside that knight. She'll likely order the Lady to do menial work or some other suck nonsense. Since I'll be accompanying them on this mission, I'll need to ensure that Lady Juliana is not mistreated.

I've also received word that we're just gotten another set of recruits into the Guild. Both of them look like vagabonds without the slightest sense of propriety. I can't say that I'm at all enthusiastic at the prospect of working alongside these people. However, Lady Juliana has told me to be less judgmental, so I shall remain silent for now.

* * *

**Atahualpa**

I believe that the Mole I found has now bonded to me fully. It is always a joy to have new creatures to share in your life.

A new woman has stepped into the Guild. Like me, she also has denizens of the wilds that she calls her friends, but I do not believe that she has come from our tribes in the East. Where, then, did she get the ability to call creatures of the wild? It is strange. Her mannerisms are so much like the others of the city, yet her scent of the jungle is unmistakable.

This should warrant further investigation.

Ahul, I am glad to hear of no great disturbances in our village. A peaceful reign is the sign of a favoured leader.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 18th of the Month of the Golden Eagle, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire

Two new applicants into our Guild today.

Dwayne 'Tinker' Federer is an explosives expert. Apparently he served in Armoroad's Naval Crops until recently where he was abruptly dismissed. Managed to get the story out that he'd accidentally blown up the greater part of one of their galleons. Has experience with fighting with one of Armoroad's custom giant bows (apparently they're useful in ship-to-ship battles. I wouldn't know.) and mostly, well, mostly loads them with explosives. To be perfectly honest I was initially hesitant to accept him into our party, but we have so many crazy people already, I suppose another won't make a difference. If nothing else, he's a good fighter.

Zeetha Chunipel is a student of wildlife. Apparently she wishes to study the animals of the Labyrinth and hit on joining a Guild as a good way to do it. When I mentioned that we would, in fact, be killing the majority of the animals we ran into, she said that it was fine – she needs specimens for study anyway. An odd sort, and she has an affinity with animals (I think she has a pet Goshawk?)

That aside, preparations for the assault on the Hammerhead tomorrow are moving ahead. Juliana's ship still isn't anything close to seaworthy, so the comparatively less damaged St. Eris will be our vessel of operations.

… I wish there was some plausible excuse I could give for not having to go on this journey. But his Majesty thinks it'll be a good way to help get those of us from Stagarad and the Empire closer together. I'll have to make sure that I don't let my discomfort show during this battle.

On the issue of hunting down Olympia, I haven't heard much of anything encouraging so far. Hopefully when this business with the Hammerhead shark is over and done with we can get on with the business of tracking her down.

Sometimes I wonder why I cannot adjust to being on the waves but have no trouble with being under them.

* * *

**Tinker**

You've done it, Dwayne! Part of a Guild! (And I hear it's a pretty good Guild, too. What with having made it to the 2nd Stratum and all.) Now nobody will be able to complain when I start making things blow up!

Went through some of their records. Never been to the underwater section of the Labyrinth, really, so can't say just how well I'll fare against them. But I guess we'll find out soon enough! (And really, how many enemies out there are impervious to having explosives detonate in your face? Not a whole lot, that's for certain.)

Went and shucked all my things in the new room they gave me. Didn't get much chance to talk to the others today. Hope we get together well. Also I hope nothing in my room blows up while I'm gone. I don't want to give them a bad first impression (no matter how accurate it might be.)

* * *

**Jared**

Relena was practicing her exercises this morning when she felt some pain in her gut. Given that she was halfway through a backflip when that happened, it could have ended a lot worse than it did.

Turns out she hasn't recovered quite as well as she'd thought. Guess we'll have to postpone that training session into the Labyrinth for a while.

I still remember the first time I saw Relena. If anything, she was in an even worse state than she is right now. Injuries weren't quite as bad, but she was pretty much running on fumes after fleeing straight south from Sheba.

It's been a wild four years, that's for sure.

* * *

**Sidney**

I heard they're planning to send more than one team into the Labyrinth at a time now. Anything to help find Olympia quicker. I guess it makes sense – we're got a pretty big group of explorers now, so there's no reason to keep most of them on reserve.

That aside, we've got another arbalist in our group. I hear he uses explosives, too, but different from mine. More… focused? I should try to meet up with him and see how he modifies his bow. I guess that in a weird way, it's nice to have more Armoroad natives working in the same Guild for the same goal.

When I went to see Adrian today she was meditating in her room, so I left alone for a while. Later, we got to talking about what it's like being a monk. She chuckled and told me that she's not so good at all the theological and spiritual stuff (although she does read her scrolls every night before going to sleep.), but a lot of it is about focus and practice, and she's good at that. Her master's really big on the 'helping others' thing, too, and he's been trying to hammer that into her as well.

Well, personally, I think he's succeeded, kind of. I mean, Adrian might not know the healing spells he does, but she's really sweet and all around nice, and she's always willing to lend a hand if the Guild needs some extra muscle.

* * *

**Pure**

Profit: – 50 en

Sheesh. I'm turning a _loss_! And the worst part is that I know exactly why too – Adrian!

Apparently Alexis designated her my official bodyguard or something, because once she got taken out of commission, foraging duties for me dried right up (Melina still pops in at least once a day). I guess I could ask one of the others to be my bodyguard, but in between hunting down that Olympia chick and getting the wounded members back on their feet and other miscellaneous duties, everyone's really busy.

And what started as a little 'get well' soon gift for her ended up into a promise for me to make a glass of fruit juice every single day. Or at least, whenever she asks for it, which pretty much changes into the exact same thing. And the ingredients come out of my pocket, too. _Man_. I can't even recoup any of the losses because I can't go forage for ingredients!

I wonder, though. I hear there're some good fruits that can only be found in the lower parts of the Labyrinth. Maybe I could charge for these?

* * *

**Zack**

Welp, looks like I've got everything I'll need for the trip to Ayutthaya tomorrow. Hammerhead, watch out! You're going _down_!

… Man, I hope after all this it actually shows up around the port. Wouldn't want to just sail around the whole day with egg on our faces. Rook told me the best way to attract it would be to get some Tanniyn meat and scatter it in the waters around our ship. Guess we'll try that method out tomorrow.

Had dinner with Rook today, got to talking about sailing. I've always loved the smell of the ocean, and I told him as much. He chuckled and said that he'd always been in port cities or the ocean itself for his whole life, so sometimes he had trouble telling what clean air smells like. The Labyrinth's the only place he's been which doesn't smell of the sea, and even then that's only for the first couple of floors – underwater it's still the same.

I ended the night by promising to take good care of the St. Eris while we were on board it. He merely chuckled and said not to worry, he'd already set aside money for the repairs.

He's a nice guy. I hope we have more chats like that.

* * *

**Juliana**

Alexis just dropped by and handed me a replacement set of armour for the one that got ruined in our little misadventure the other day. I must say that that was rather nice of her, even if there are entirely pragmatic reasons behind such an act.

In any case, we're all ready for our hunt tomorrow. I'll be bringing along my best rapier, and the notebook I've written all those protective spells in. _This_ time, I can't afford to make any mistakes. I need to make up for my failure in the Undersea Grotto and show my Guild (and everyone else, of course) the pride and glory of the Stagarad name!


	37. Vs Hammerhead, the Devil of Ayutthaya

Entry Thirty Seven

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 19th of the Month of the Golden Eagle, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire

… We've done it. The Hammerhead Shark that terrorized Ayutthaya is no more.

The battle was… well, the beast's scales were nigh impervious to conventional assaults, so it took a lot of hacking away before we were able to deal a vital blow. There was a minor moment of worry in the fight when it charged us (I suppose we weren't prepared for it to leave the water entirely.) and sent Zack and Wooster flying. Fortunately, I was able to intersperse myself between his Majesty and the shark, preventing him from receiving serious injury.

Otherwise, the battle itself was a fairly standard affair, with us able to outlast and finally bring the creature down. If I'm going to be honest, I considered the actual journey to Ayutthaya a more trying affair. (I believe I was able to hide my discomfiture though, thank the Goddess. I have to make sure I can properly represent the Empire, especially in the front of royalty from other nations.)

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the teamwork Zack and Juliana displayed in battle. The fight well together, and I suppose it would behoove the both of them to be sent in together into combat situations from here on out. I'll talk it out with his Majesty and see if he has anything to add to the discussion.

We were able to sell off various parts of the creature for money at Napier's. She's also promised to come up with some new equipment based on the shark's remains, so I suppose I'll drop by again later.

In other news, we have to continue our search for Olympia. During our hunt for the Hammerhead, Geoffrey's team entered the Labyrinth and they were able to discern several floors leading deeper into the eighth. However, most of these entrances appear to lead to tiny caves or paths – and Olympia is unlikely to have ventured inside any of them. There is one more flight of stairs relatively close to the seventh floor's entrance that he was unable to check, owing mostly to one of the Scaled Dragons barring the path forward.

If our theory that Olympia is able to control the beasts of the Labyrinth is correct, then it is possible that she ordered the creature to stand guard. That being the case, I've devised a simple strategy for our venture tomorrow.

A team comprised of those who are fleet of foot (and perhaps those who are good are protecting others) will lure the Scaled Dragon away, while a second, more general purpose team will get past them and seek to hunt down Olympia. The first team is to be ordered not to directly engage the Scaled Dragon unless absolutely necessary.

Hopefully we'll be able to close the chapter on this mysterious Labyrinth dweller soon enough.

* * *

**Zack**

Hoowee! One dead Hammerhead shark, just like the doctor ordered. Gotta admit I was surprised by how quickly it showed up, and the fight took a while, but in between having the five of us out there, it wasn't anything we couldn't handle. When I finally dealt the killing blow, I stood there for a while, stretching my muscles and listening to the cheering from the crowd that had gathered by the docks to watch.

Not half bad a feeling, that. The look on Lady Juliana's face… well, she was beaming. Positively radiant. Guess that's all her self-esteem issues with getting beaten to her inch of her life in the Labyrinth cleared up. For now, anyway, and I'll take what I can get.

Oh, also, Alexis and Jules really worked like a team out there. Dunno if it's because they train together or something, but somehow they always knew when to fall back and support each other during the fight. Of course Wooster held his own, one time physically blocking the Hammerhead's tail swipe with any apparent effort on his part. Dude really is a Shield.

When we got back to port it was almost nightfall, and Jules and Alexis went off to handle… well, whatever it is leaders of a Guild need to handle at the end of the day. Lady Juliana insisted on treating Wooster and I to a dinner feast in celebration of our 'glorious victory'.

Smoked salmon never tasted so good.

* * *

**Jules**

Alexis was able to keep a calm disposition for the majority of our trip. Admittedly the weather was fine and the seas were as smooth as they ever get, but still. That is an impressive feat for her. I told her as much when we got back, but she simply shook her head and mumbled that she didn't want to talk about it.

After she left, I went down to Inver Offices to register the St. Eris docking at port again, and I ran into Rook waiting for me. We made some small talk, he asked about how the St. Eris handled, and joked about how I was becoming a regular seafarer. The ship got a little banged up and I told him as much. After he did a quick inspection, he told me that it was nothing that couldn't be fixed. Jared came up from behind and said that if he'd asked I could've just used the 'Mutt', since it wasn't damaged already and it's a lot sturdier than the smaller St. Eris.

We made some small talk, I asked about Relena (recovering, impatient to be able to go through her full regimen again), and somehow we ended up in some smoke-filled bar eating dinner and drinking the night away. Well, the two of them did, anyway. I'm glad to say I had the common sense two just have a single mug of what they call 'Boar Grog'. It was pleasant enough, but I really don't want to know what ingredients they used to make it. When we parted the ways the two of them were supporting each other and singing a sea shanty as they stumbled down the street. Something about the sea goddesses' underwear. I don't want to know.

When I got back to the inn Alexis was still working on logistics for the teams that will be sent in tomorrow. (She has to make sure their equipment is up to date, check to ensure no one suffered an injury outside of Guild duties, see if anyone is uncomfortable working alongside anyone else, that sort of thing) I touched her lightly on the shoulder and told her that she could rest and I'd take over. Of course all I got in reply was a wry smile and a reminder that I should be working on Guild finances before I started worrying about the duties of other people.

Joke aside, I really think Alexis takes too much of a burden on herself at times. Oh well.

Expenditure on Supplies: 250 en

Expenditure on Equipment: 1780 en

Expenditure, Misc: 74 en

Income from Labyrinth Goods: 430 en

Income from Sea Goods: 3223 en

Income, Misc: 15 en

Total Profit: 1656 en

Total Current Funds: 7459 en

* * *

**Wooster**

I suppose I have to admit that the female knight and the lord she is in service to do possess a modicum of combat ability. Not that it excuses their behaviour of course (the nerve of asking Lady Juliana to do physical labour!), but at least I won't have to worry about them getting themselves killed on account of carelessness.

I've received an order from the lady knight, and the long and short of it is that I'm to be heading a group tomorrow to lure a giant creature away from its resting place in order to allow egress for the other team. Bah. Such roundabout tactics displease me. If you want a fight, you should go out and meet the challenge head on.

Still, orders are orders, and in matters not pertaining to Lady Juliana's wellbeing, I suppose I'm honour-bound to obey.

* * *

**Juliana**

We succeeded in vanquishing the foul beast that had been plaguing the waters around Ayutthaya, and I'm proud to say we all performed admirably in today's battle! I do wish Wooster would learn that I'm not the frail princess he watched grow up – when they asked for my help in stabilizing the ship I was only too happy to offer it, but naturally he had to go kick up a fuss.

Oh well. That aside, I do find it quite serendipitous that the incident when I met with Sir Jules was caused by the Hammerhead Shark, and I do believe we've grown closer as a Guild by slaying the very same creature. Quite the interesting coincidence, I'd say.

Well, I suppose I don't have much more time to write. I'm treating Zack and Wooster to dinner on account of a job well done. I wonder which of the eateries we should visit?


	38. Encounter in the Depths

Entry Thirty Eight

* * *

**Rook**

Got assigned monster-baiting duty today. Guess I was considered fast enough on my feet, not to mention I'd run away from one of those things before, so I guess they thought I'd be a good man for the job.

Well, things didn't go quite as planned. Yes, we managed to distract it for a while – definitely long enough for Alexis and her group to advance down into the eighth floor. But maybe we just weren't at our best, or maybe this one was just faster than the other one we ran away from, but in any case we ended up having to tangle with that thing for a while.

Most of its body was nigh impervious to physical assaults, and given that we'd come into this battle with the expectations that we wouldn't be _fighting_ the thing, we didn't have a lot of options. Eventually the fight came down to Wooster putting himself in between us the monster, and Geoffrey throwing healing energy at him every time the monster struck (supposedly this is exhausting as all heck, and the old man _did_ look rather drained when we made it out later). Got our opening when I aimed a strike at the monster's eye and blinded it. We sure didn't waste time making a hasty retreat after that.

It's been a while since we came back, but there's still no sign of Alexis and the others. Midori went with them even though Alexis initially wanted to send her with our team. Apparently she insisted that she needed to see this through for some reason. I'm sure they'll be fine, but I still wish we had some news.

* * *

**Wooster**

We ended up engaging that ferocious beast after all. I maintain that we could easily slay such a creature if only we had the proper tools at our disposal. As it is we were forced into a confrontation, and were able to handily hold our own against the beast for quite some time before escaping.

Still, my armour has been badly dented by our encounter with that creature. Perhaps I should replace it soon. Lady Juliana came by to check on my condition shortly after we returned. She truly is a benevolent member of the royal family, to care even about a common knight like me.

For now, it appears all we can do is wait for the others to return so we can get on with our exploration.

* * *

**Melina**

Oh my. Ms. Alexis and the team she went in with just returned from the Labyrinth. All of them were wounded, but not anywhere near as badly as the last time when they got ambushed. I was resting near the town square, which was why I caught sight of them – they were quickly brought to the Senatus by Master Kujura. I wonder what that was about. It's been nearly an hour and they haven't returned yet.

Today I ventured down to the sixth floor and found some sort of strange algae. It's in a rather out of the way location, especially with all those giant fish wandering about. Pure kept glancing over his shoulder the whole time we were down there, until Ms. Adrian had to tell him that the fish weren't aggressive and didn't attack unless you trespassed on their territory, which was usually delineated very well in the grotto.

It's strange. I've grown up hearing tales about the Deep City and what it would mean for Armoroad if only we could find it again, and now here I am in a Guild that appears to be on the cusp of discovering it. I can only hope our good fortune holds.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 20th of the Month of the Golden Eagle, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire

I have just returned from delivering our report on the situation to the Senatus. The entirety of the session took over an hour, and by the end of it I believe Midori and Sidney were all but asleep on their feet. Well, I suppose it can't be helped.

In any case, after the other team successfully lured the Scaled Dragon away from its spot guarding the entrance to the eighth floor, we entered to find another passageway. Our initial scan produced little evidence of Olympia's presence, but eventually Atahualpa spotted a hidden passageway that appeared to have been recently used.

In any case, we ended up finding and confronting Olympia, and we have the reason she was seemingly able to command the Labyrinth dwellers – she is somehow able to mimic the tonal patterns of the creatures almost perfectly. She drew an Abyssal Death to the area, and we had little choice but to engage it in battle. It was a tougher fight than I would have liked and all of us sustained wounds in the process, but Midori was finally able to bring the creature down with a slash to the throat before we turned to face Olympia once more.

Ultimately a voice that identified itself as 'Oceanmaster Ketos' told Olympia to stand down, and told us to seek him out if we truly wished for access to the Deep City. He was even gracious enough to provide us the means with which to do it – some sort of pearl that apparently has power over the underwater currents of the Labyrinth. How exactly to activate it is a matter he apparently left to our discretion. All this I delivered in relatively concise form to the Senatus, and as I speak they're probably debating over the best course of action on proceeding forward.

On our way back from the Senatus, his Majesty asked if he could talk with me in private. Apparently he's been concerned about the way Midori's been acting. She was one of the more cheery members of our Guild until only recently, and now she's mostly quiet. I should also note that she insisted on being part of the team that would hunt down Olympia. It's likely that this has something to do with her past that she claimed she had no recollection of when she first joined our Guild. Something to keep an eye on, definitely.

The situation certainly has gotten more complicated since we first arrived in Armoroad. But my duty towards helping his Majesty traverse the entirety of the Labyrinth has not changed.

* * *

**Midori**

She was right in front of me. She was just standing there, and then I let her get away. I was able to kill the beast she summoned, but I was unable to stop her.

If I'm going to be honest with myself though, I wasn't in any real condition for another fight after dealing with that crocodile. And now there's another person who doesn't want us to reach the city. Kytos or something? It doesn't matter, I guess. Olympia is my main target.

Only I don't think I'm strong enough yet. I'll need to grow stronger.

I wonder if that scroll Agata gave me has anything useful on this. I should look through it one more time, see if there's anything I can use.

* * *

**Sidney**

Monsters Killed: Blue Starfish x 2, Red Starfish x 2, King Starfish x 1, High Onnep x 1, Rock Coral x 3, Whorled Puffer x 2, Abyssal Death x 1

Items Collected: Blue Core x 1, Blue Arm x 1, Red Core x 2, Cilial Sucker x 1, King Core x 1, Spherical Bone x 2, Crocodile Hide x 1, Pig Iron Fang x 1

Man, Adrian's going to be mad she missed fighting one of those Abyssal Deaths! It's incredibly fast, and it has this thing where it lashes out with its teeth and claws all at once to strike multiple people at the same time. Got a pretty nasty blow to the arm, but the medicine I'd brought with me was able to get it patched up during the battle.

Anyway, that crocodile was summoned by Olympia, and after we defeated it we were preparing for another face-off when somebody calling himself the Oceanmaster (isn't that kinda pretentious? I mean, claiming lordship of the whole ocean? Maybe there's more than one of them, I dunno) told her to stand down. All we heard was his voice, but apparently this guy isn't too keen on having us find the Deep City either.

You know, I never really gave any thought to why Olympia wanted us not to find the Deep City, but now that I think about it... I wonder if she's from the Deep City herself. After all, no one appears to have ever seen her in Armoroad. But even if she is, why's she so insistent on keeping us out? Is she scared of those of us from the surface? I can't say I got that vibe from her. More like she was… I dunno, irritated?

I always thought rediscovering the portion of Armoroad that got sunk would lead to us regaining our former glory. But if the people there don't think themselves as part of Armoroad anymore, if we end up turning hostile against one another, won't that just land Armoroad in a bigger mess than before?

* * *

**Jules**

The Abyssal Death was certainly a challenge. I've been studying on healing techniques to better protect and aid those fighting alongside me. I'm afraid I can't directly channel healing energy like Sir Geoffrey can, but perhaps a more gradual manipulation of the ether for gradual healing throughout a battle? I should talk to Asmodeus (or perhaps even Rossa) on the ability for us to do this.

Oceanmaster Ketos and Olympia… I'm not sure why they're so intent on barring out way into the Deep City. I have to admit that I'm not even that invested into discovering the city myself – after all, the only reason I'm here is that I made a stupid vow while drunk out of my gourd. But I'm currently in charge of quite a number of people who _are_, and if push comes to shove, my duties as a leader lies with those under my command (particularly when the opposing side hasn't given me any good reason to stop beyond 'Do it or we kill you'.) I hope it won't come to violence, but if worst comes to worst, I won't back down.

That aside, I really think Midori went through a severe shock of some kind. She's always quiet and withdrawn nowadays. I think out of all of us, she trusts Rook the most. Maybe I should ask him to try to find out what happened with her.

Hm. The fog's thicker than usual tonight. I should probably get something hot to drink before retiring for the night.

Expenditure on Supplies: 143 en

Expenditure on Equipment: 570 en (Apparently a lot of stuff was damaged when the Lure team fought the Scaled Dragon.)

Expenditure, Misc: 167 en

Income from Labyrinth Goods: 1245 en (Melin and Pure did pretty good work today)

Income from Sea Goods: 0 en

Income, Misc: 1500 en (Reward for hunting down Olympia and discovering the Sea Bead. Apparently it would have been greater if we'd actually apprehended her. Oh well.)

Total Profit Earned: 1865 en

Total Current Funds: 9324 en


	39. Training Session III

Entry Thirty Nine

* * *

**Clay**

Ha! Did it! I've figured out how to gather ice around my mace when I swing it.

Honestly it wasn't that hard. Went to talk to that ice mage about how to fix the spell onto a weapon and he raised his eyebrow and mentioned that it was an 'interesting theoretical exercise'. Well I'm glad I can provide him with some fucking entertainment.

Anyway, after looking down my weapon he got to work on crafting a spell to work with it. I'm not even sure how all that works, but hell, if saying a couple of fancy words gets me an ice-spell on my weapon, I'm not complaining.

Went and had a duel later with that Zack dude. He was okay, I guess, but still managed to lay him flat. He doesn't have a fighting style based around endurance, but he isn't aggressive enough either to take his opponents off balance. He's gonna have to do better.

He invited me to dinner afterwards, and I was kinda wary, but hell, he offered to pay. It was getting dark by the time I finished and we were heading back, and the fog was really rolling in thick. Almost couldn't see where the heck we were going. Luckily for the both of us I'd memorized most of the routes around the city. You know, in case I ever needed to make a quick getaway.

I wonder what Alexis is gonna choose to do about the Labyrinth moving forward.

* * *

**Rook**

Jules had a talk with me early this morning – something about looking after Midori and making sure she's okay. Yeah, I guess she's been pretty out of it lately, and it wasn't like I was gonna say no to helping her out.

I kinda wonder why he came to me about it, though. We're friends, but we're not that close. I think.

Anyway, went to find her at the usual spot she trains at. When she saw me, she kinda nodded a bit before going back to her training. It really is unnerving. It like her personality changed overnight.

Anyway, I challenged her to another sparring round, and she accepted after a couple seconds of hesitation. Not proud to say I got my ass handed to me. Yeah, it kinda had to do with her splitting into two and both of them being able to fight on even ground, but more than that, she just had some sort of focus that I've never seen in her before.

Anyway, after the fight, she actually smiled a little and told me that it was now 7 to 6. Heh. Guess I'll have to start working harder as well.

I asked her if she wanted to go get something to eat, but she said she needed to continue training. She really is taking this seriously, I guess. But I told her that if she spent all her time training she'd just drive herself to the point of collapse, and that won't help anyone.

She didn't seem to hear me at first, so I went for the compromise and bought back a couple of packets of rice to the same spot. This she accepted, although there was a remark about me being a busybody. I guess with her smiling through it she wasn't serious. Or something.

When I asked her flat out if anything was wrong, she closed her eyes, shook her head once and said that she'd tell me tomorrow. She just wasn't ready yet or something.

Guess that's as much as I'm going to get for now.

Oh yeah, during maintenance on the St. Eris I noticed that the mists were pretty thick today. Usually they disperse once the sun comes up but it hung around for most of the day. Wonder why. The seas have always been screwy around these parts, so it could be just about anything messing up place.

* * *

**Jules**

Got to talking with Rossa earlier (I would have gone looking for Asmodeus, but apparently he was helping Clay with something) about channelling the ether for healing purposes. She frowned and told me that she'd have a look and see if she could come up with something.

Well, I honestly didn't expect her to get it done that fast. I made the request in the morning and by dinner she'd come back with a formula for helping people to regenerate their wounds. She told me that everyone has 'affinities' that makes them more suited for specific kinds of spells (or in some cases, no magic at all), and that she tried to modify the spell for it to work best with me.

I suppose all that's left is to practice it. I know Alexis doesn't understand much about arcane matters (save the basic techniques that nearly every knight of the Empire is trained in) so I can't ask her for help in this matter. This is something I'll have to master on my own.

Earlier, I asked Rook to help me see if anything was the matter with Midori. I know emotional issues tend not to get cleared up very quickly, but I can't help but hope that whatever is troubling her doesn't keep bogging her down for much longer.

Total Expenditure: 1760 en

Total Income: 551 en

Total Profit Earned: -1209 en

Total Current Funds: 8115 en

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 21th of the Month of the Golden Eagle, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire

Received a summons to report to the Senatus at first light tomorrow morning. I wonder what request they have for us. Naturally it'll be something to do with the pearl Ketos bestowed upon us.

Spent the afternoon practicing my footwork. I need to be able to move faster in order to protect his Majesty and the others in our Guild. Even if it's something as basic as throwing myself in front of them to shield others.


	40. Fog in Armoroad

Entry Forty

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 22nd of the Month of the Golden Eagle, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire

After being summoned to the Senatus (I attended alongside his Majesty), we have a new goal. The pearl (generally referred to as the Sea Bead, I suppose it's as good a name as any) should be able to halt the currents that have been impeding our progress throughout the second stratum, so we've been assigned to be the Guild that will deactivate them and seek out Oceanmaster Ketos. Kujura was also present, and we received a tipoff about a suspicious chamber in the sixth floor.

I suppose we'll be drawn into a meeting (and probably a conflict) with this Oceanmaster soon enough. In the meantime, I'd better get an expedition for finding this chamber Kujura spoke off.

Geoffrey took a team with him into the Labyrinth around sunset – apparently one of the local researchers charged him with studying the nocturnal habits of the starfish in the second stratum. I can't say that sort of thing holds much interest for me, but apparently a reward was promised and if nothing else, Labyrinth ventures provide training.

Over dinner with his Majesty (just the two of this time, even at the inn. Most of the other Guild members had their own business to sort out), he mentioned that the fog's as bad as ever. I suppose that's true. I admit to having some difficulty navigating through Armoroad, especially after the sun sets. I wonder if there's been news from other quarters about this phenomenon.

Well, it hasn't reached the Labyrinth yet, so at least we won't have to contend with poor visibility in addition to the Labyrinth's inherent dangers. Speaking of which, I should probably start putting together a team for finding the chamber the Sea Bead is supposed to be brought to. We could be searching for a while, so we'll need durability and endurance. His Majesty's been saying that he wants to get more involved with the administrative affairs of the Guild (well, I'm glad he's taking his role as leader more seriously) so I'll bring up the discussion with him and see what he says.

* * *

**Jared**

Big trouble down at the docks today. A shipping convoy towards Ayutthaya apparently got attacked on the way there. Out of five ships, only two made it back, and they won't in any shape to be setting out again anytime soon. The Harbourmaster's got a long night of paperwork ahead of him, that's for sure.

I stuck around and managed to overhear some of the stuff the naval guards asked the merchants, but mostly it turned up a dud – they're not sure what attacked them at all. Apparently the mist's as bad out on the seas as here.

We'll see how things go – they don't want to shut down the port just for a single attack, but if this continues no one's going to dare trade in these waters anyway. Bloody hell, the waters around here have been a festering hole of monsters and creatures ever since the Calamity thing. If this fog lasts much longer than en to octopi there's some sort of monster behind it all as well (although I gotta wonder about the kind of monster that could cover everything in between Sheba and Armoroad in fog. Maybe there's more than one of them.)

* * *

**Midori**

Fog's bad again today. Guess it matches my mood.

Rook came by around lunchtime again. We didn't say much for a while – just practiced our training. But there was always that weight in the air – I guess I did promise to tell him about myself.

Eventually, during the break, I spoke up. I probably wasn't very elegant about it, but, well, I told him everything. About the Orochi guild, about Tristan and everyone else, and how everyone died. It took about half an hour, but at the end of it, there was just silence. I guess there really isn't much to say after someone drops a bombshell on you like that. Truth be told, I wanted to keep this to myself, because, well, I don't need to saddle the others with stories about people they've never met. I guess telling Rook is okay, though.

In any case, Rook asked me if that was why I was always so concerned with hunting Olympia down. I didn't reply, but I guess he knew anyway and he didn't press the issue. After a while, I stood up and went back to training, and he followed me.

I guess it's good to know that Rook will be watching out for me no matter what.

* * *

**Tinker**

Haw! First excursion into the Labyrinth and I put my skills to good use. We were supposed to go check out… um, breeding habits of starfish or something? I wasn't too sure. The other new hire (I think her name's Zeetha?) was one of the more interested ones, so I guess I'm just along to help provide some extra firepower. That's me, all right! Ready and willing to make things explode if it's for a good cause!

The old man and her apprentice took the lead for this one, apparently trying to find the alcove where the starfish hid. Well it didn't take too long for them to notice that every starfish they saw was floating in a particular direction, so it was pretty much a basic case of follow the leader.

Now I'm not saying I understand what went on, but I think it involved some starfish eating other starfish and then growing into a bigger starfish. It became academic after they noticed us and attacked. So we, well, we killed them. For my part, I did it by blowing them up. The old monk dude seemed reasonably happy with what they'd managed to find out, so I guess that we succeeded in whatever it is we came here for. (Although the animal girl was grumbling about how casually we killed so many of those things. It was us or them, sweetie.)

So, that was my first trip down into this big dangerous place they call the Yggdrasil Labyrinth. Wasn't half bad. Way to go, Dwayne. I'll be a bona fide explorer yet!

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Hungry

Is it just me, or do bow fighters from Armoroad like explosives too much for their own good? I mean, I don't mind a little fire now and then (as evidenced by one of my skills being able to, you know, set my hands on fire), but yeesh. Guy was just lobbing explosives into the fight like no tomorrow.

At least both of our new hires were able to handle themselves in a fight. The Guild's really grown from when I first came to Armoroad.

Anyway, went to join Master at the Bistro after we came back out. Even if I don't like how he's always hanging out there, at least the place serves good food.

When we got there Missy was complaining about how a lot of people had stopped turning up ever since the fog rolled in. Guess that's the disadvantage of holding your restaurant in the open air next to sea. Although, right now almost all of Armoroad's rolling in the fog. Really wonder what that's all about. Master, as usual, doesn't seem the least bit affected by it and can find his way around easily. Really hope this thing clears up soon.


	41. Watery Graves

Entry Forty One

* * *

**Jules**

Well, we've discovered the chamber where the Sea Bead was supposed to be placed, and with the currents cleared progress to the lower floors of the stratum should eventually be unlocked for us.

Of course, this piece of good news is about the only such piece today.

Agata and Hypatia dead. And, well, I think it's partly our fault.

When we first descended into the sixth floor Hypatia was there, pacing about anxiously. I was surprised she hadn't gotten further than us, given her skill. Anyway, we got to talking about the trap, and she mentioned that Agata was anxious to go find it for his own and see what it was like.

Well, I considered that pretty foolhardy (especially since those blasted things nearly killed me) and I told her as much. She kind of shrugged her shoulders and told me that that was just the way he was.

Anyway, we didn't give the matter much thought after that – basically we trawled around the place looking for this hidden chamber – and I believe I could hear Clay mumbling that if he really wanted us to find the place, the least he could do was provide us with a map. Anyway, long story short, we kinda found it by accident when we saw a starfish swim into an alcove to escape a High Onnep that was apparently intent on having an early lunch. We ended up killing the Onnep and moving in. There was this weird stone pedestal and I wasn't quite sure what about that so we basically took the Sea Bead and waved it about until it started floating and glowing on its own. After that when we came out again a bit of preliminary poking around revealed that the underwater currents had indeed dissipated

We were all feeling pretty good about ourselves just then when we ran into Agata and he was practically bouncing on his heels asking us to show him the location of the fishing grounds. I honestly have no idea why the boy was so interested in finding that place. Maybe he just liked the idea of a challenge. Well, I guess I'll never know now.

Regardless, Alexis spoke up before I could, telling him sternly that there was no reason to intrude on such a place. I don't think the kid took it well – he got a sour expression on his face, yelled something about finding it himself anyway, and then ran off. Naturally we chased after him, yelling at him not to be an idiot. Midori was the fastest in our group, so naturally she outpaced the rest of us and we lost sight of her for a while. Apparently some of the Labyrinth monsters got attracted by all the yelling and tried to swarm us – Alexis stayed behind to hold them off while the rest of us tried to stop Agata.

Well, in the end, we failed. We had to chase them all the way to the lair we first ended up in, and the only thing we saw was Midori kneeling over Agata's corpse. Hypatia was still alive, but too far gone for any of medicines to help her. Her last words to me was to protect Agata and… well, I didn't say anything. What was there to say?

Alexis joined up with us a couple of seconds later, bearing a couple more wounds than before. After accessing the situation she told us to gather the bodies and to get out of here before more of the fish showed up. But Midori refused, saying that they would want to be buried in the Labyrinth. I guess since she was there for Agata's last moments, she'd know more.

Well, after that we came out again and… we kinda went back to our rooms or wherever we usually lodge for the night. There wasn't much else to do.

* * *

**Midori**

I'm not even sure why I'm writing. I guess I think that maybe trying to sort all my thoughts into something reasonable, coherent, I'll be able to keep myself from screaming.

I failed again. More people died today, and this time I was _there_, I could have done something…

I'd outpaced the rest of my group and had just about caught up with Agata at the dead end room when Hypatia burst in as well, yelling at him not to run off on his own. I don't know if it was because of the noise – I don't even know if fish can hear – or… or us disturbing the water, or what, but they were on us in seconds.

Everything that happened after that was a blur. The only thing I remember was this thought that kept running through my mind, 'I'm not going to run away this time'. There were so many of them, but I just kept dodging and striking and…

And when they finally gave up and retreated, the next thing I remember was staring down at a twisted form on the floor and it taking me several long seconds to recognize that it was Agata. I hadn't brought any medicine with me. Maybe if I had I could have saved him, maybe he would still be here.

He asked me about whether Hypatia was okay, and I... I couldn't tell him that she lying not two feet from him, just as badly wounded. He seemed to guess, though, based on the expression on his face. He began whispering to me, saying that Hypatia had been having nightmares about the Labyrinth, and the sixth floor, ever since they'd set foot inside there. So he wanted to find whatever it was that was threatening her and put a stop to it. Her father had died here too… something. I was panicking too much to pay that much attention.

His last words were that I couldn't fail now. After that, everything was a blur. I remember asking Jules to bury them in the Labyrinth itself … it took a while to find enough rocks to cover their grave to make sure monsters wouldn't swarm there.

The scroll Agata gave me. I'm going to master every technique in there. And then I'm going to beat the Labyrinth, hunt down Olympia, and finish this. For everyone's sake. Agata and Hypatia's, too.

* * *

**Rook**

Fog's bad again today. Two ships that were supposed for set out for Batavia were called back – the first one spotted something beyond the edge of their vision in the fog, and then a cannon shot was fired at them. This spooked them enough to turn back, and the captain of the second one finally decided that there was no way in hell he could navigate properly and brought the ship back in.

At least the folks in the Senatus have gotten their heads out their asses and decided to send out the galleons to hunt down… whatever it is. The fog's not natural, there's no doubt of that by now. Can only hope this matter is wrapped up quickly.

Midori got back out of the Labyrinth today looking like death warmed over. She had a couple of nasty wounds, but I'm not sure she even noticed. Had to drag her to the clinic before she got her treatment and the whole time she was just staring blankly at the wall. Damn. I dunno what went on in there, but it can't have been anything good. Come to think of it, every else seemed pretty sombre too – even Clay, and she usually doesn't care about much other than looking aloof and unapproachable.

Sometimes I wonder if this dream of plumbing the depths of the Labyrinth is all it's cracked up to be.

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Confused

Rossa was knocking at my door a couple hours ago, looking like she'd seen a ghost. I let her inside, and I barely had the time to open my mouth before she broke down and started sobbing, saying something about how people they'd met down in the Labyrinth had died and her magic couldn't do anything to save them. At that time I misunderstood and thought on of _ours_ had bought it, and I don't mind telling you I nearly bolted out of the room to find out who (Rossa was too incoherent to be able to tell me at this point). But hell, the girl needed me, even though I don't feel like I'm very good at this sort of thing.

Learnt later that it was that other Guild with the ninja kid and the astrologer. I barely knew them but… well, getting torn apart by beasts just isn't the way to go. Of course it's kinda weird that I'm saying this when I'm charging ahead into the fray at every opportunity, but… I'm not even sure. Everything's all jumbled up.

Rossa eventually fell asleep on my bed and then Asmodeus dropped by asking if I had seen her. When he learnt about what happened he shook his head and muttered something about this being why he hadn't wanted his sister to come in the first place. Then he brought her an extra blanket, which I guess was the brotherly thing to do. Or something?

Anyway, guess I'm stuck looking after Rossa for now. Master's out – Alexis called him and Jules for a meeting. Wonder what's going to happen tomorrow.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 23rd of the Month of the Golden Eagle, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire

Hypatia and Agata are dead. I don't wish to go over the sordid details surrounding their death, but I suppose I'll let this entry serve as a memory for them, however slight.

We also constructed a grave for them in the Labyrinth – the rock formation we piled on to prevent the beasts of the Labyrinth from scavenging their corpses was crude – it's entirely likely we'll have to revisit the place soon and get better work done than a makeshift stone pile.

We'll also need to prepare for our confrontation soon. We've apparently opened the way to the Oceanmaster. All that's left to do is to find him, and if need be, confront him for entry into the Deep City.

I must admit I have my doubts about what is to occur there. With all these people unwilling to let us find the Deep City – to the point of attempted murder, in fact – I cannot help but wonder what it will be like for us even when we finally locate the place.

Be that as it may, I still cannot falter now. But it would be best if I made some contingency plans in the event of any unpleasant incidents.


	42. This and That VII

Entry Forty Two

* * *

**Zeetha**

The Guild's finally started delving into levels where monsters from lower down don't show up very often. Perfect chance for me to start cataloguing some of the newer monsters!

I just wish most of the time these cataloguing didn't involve doing post-mortems on them. I understand they're all incredibly hostile, and if we want to survive down there we have to be prepared to fight them off, but it's still such a waste of these magnificent beasts.

Well, anyway, we were charged by a local zoologist with finding a mutation amongst the Iron Turtles of the eighth floor. All well and good, except we hadn't met any of the [i]original[/i] Iron Turtles from the eighth floor yet, and thus we weren't sure how to spot any of the mutations.

In any case, after entering the eighth floor, we spent a couple of hours wandering around and finding no Iron Turtles of any kind. It was, all in all, a disappointing trip.

Maybe they're more confined to a specific section of the floor. I'll have to go check again some other time.

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Little sad, I guess

Went out for lunch with Sidney and Pure today. Well, 'out' is a bit of a misnomer. We just ducked through the fog until we reached the eatery standing beside the inn (and I think it's run by the same people that run the inn anyway).

Everyone's been a bit quiet the past day. Guess it's understandable. Even Pure wasn't making snarky remarks about how the latest monster tried to tear him a new one on his latest trip (although it could be because he was just contemplating all the ways he could be horribly killed in turn). None of us really knew those two well, but still, we _knew_ them. Sidney mentioned that Alexis wants to hurry up and find the Oceanmaster. Guess that's the best we can do for now.

You know, now I can't help wondering about the rest of us. I mean, so far we've been lucky, no one's bitten the big one yet (although some of us have gotten closer than others.) I'm about as close to some of the other Guild members as I was to Agata and Hypatia, but if Sidney or Pure died? Or even Master I'm being stupid. Master's too good to go out like that. Still, if someone I knew died, I'm not sure how I'd react. I'm not sure how I'd _feel_.

When I first came here I just thought it was going to be a big adventure into the unknown. I guess it still is, sort of. I just have to remember that there's always a danger lurking in the background.

(X)

Pure just showed up in my room around an hour before dinner. Apparently he wants to learn how to take care of himself in the Labyrinth. I'm not sure fistfighting is really the best path he could take in self-defence and I told him as much, but apparently he's insistent. I suppose if nothing else following a training regimen should get him to be tougher?

He also told me he'd pay me for lessons in fruit drinks. Ha ha haaaaa. (He knows I like them way too much.)

Oh well. After warning him that I'm still learning myself, I told him that I'd be around to wake him up for morning practice tomorrow. I hope I know what I'm getting myself into.

* * *

**Jared**

Well, they've all but confirmed what it is that's causing the fog. And it only took three of Armoroad's galleons being sunk to do it.

Still finding it hard to believe this nonsense about a 'ghost ship', but I guess stranger things have happened in the past. Too bad I can't remember much about those sort of things right now. In any case, Armoroad's trade has been paralyzed. Again. Harbourmaster looked about ready to start pulling hairs out of his beard.

Guess they're gonna get with putting requests up for tough explorers to help out with this one. Sometimes I wonder why the Armoroad even has a marine force. Most of the soldiers are greener than a sprig of mistletoe.

* * *

**Asmodeus**

After hearing the rumours flowing through town about a supposed 'Ghost Ship', I had to ask Rook and Melina for what exactly they meant by this 'Jolly Roger', oceanic folklore (and folklore more specific to the northern regions) not being a subject I am well versed in. As it turns out, there was once a dread pirate who gained notoriety as 'Jolly Roger' and terrorized the seas of the world. It took the combined navies of three different nations to finally corner him and he took his own life rather than let himself fall into the hands of the law. As a tale it lacks something in the telling, I suppose.

The second half of the tale is that his enmity possessed his ship or some other such nonsense and now it continues to roam the seas, constantly seeking new victims. I suppose that's what they claim this ghost ship roaming the waters to be, although I haven't the faintest idea how they figured that out when all they spotted was a ship roaming the fog.

In any case, as long as they get rid of that thing and clear up this damnable fog, I don't care what else occurs.

In other news, Rossa has been quiet today. Unsurprising, given that she watched two people get horribly killed right in front of her eyes. Hopefully this teaches her a bit more about the realities of this quest, and why she has no place in it. I haven't been able to find out which ships will be heading for Sovelude in the near future, though. I just hope there's one soon.

Horoscope: Soon you will contend with the past, and not just your own.

How reassuring.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 24th of the Month of the Golden Eagle, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire

Geoffrey's excursion into the eighth floor today met with little success in their hunt for Iron Turtles, and they also assured me that they had mapped out all the areas available to them in those alcoves. So the true route (assuming there is one) has to lie in a path previously blocked by a current.

I'll go in tomorrow morning with a team and see what we can find.

That aside, morale of our Guild is rather low, owing to what happened with the two from the Murotsumi Guild. Jules himself appears unsure of how to command them as such. As for myself, I confess I'm not used to such affairs either. Back in the Imperial Army we were thought to suppress our emotions on the battlefield and not to let the deaths of others affect us.

Guild members, by and large, aren't professional soldiers. Knowing how to fight, and having the mindset of a soldier are two different things. I'll have to keep that in mind for other difficulties ahead.


	43. Training Session IV

Entry Forty Three

* * *

**Pure**

Today's Profit: 57 en

I wasn't really sure what to expect from training with Adrian. All I knew is that I thought push ups would be involved in there somewhere.

Anyway, Adrian dragged me out of bed when it was still completely dark out, her rationale being that if you were going to be hot, sticky and sweaty, is was better to end up like that when the sun had _not_ risen yet. Not that I can really fault her logic, but logic doesn't help me stir uncooperative muscles into action when I've just stumbled out of bed and my eyes are still gummy and all that junk.

Anyway, we started my first training session doing some stretching exercises, and then Adrian gave me a couple of tests to gauge how strong I was in the first place. Mostly it involved me running around a bit, doing a few sit-ups, and when I finished she had the oddest look on her face. I'm still not sure what it meant. Later we moved on to breathing exercises, something about how there's power in the breath or something. I wasn't really paying attention, but based on what I did hear from Adrian, I don't think she was paying that much attention to what her master had thought her either.

Anyway, for a first session, I guess that wasn't half bad. But Adrian promises that what she has planned for me down the line will more than make up for today.

Joy.

Guess I'll get started on that orange juice for her.

* * *

**Geoffrey**

Thought for the Day: Knowledge is to be shared, not hoarded.

Adrian approached me today.

She wanted help with training Pure.

Told her that to teach another was a great undertaking. She appears determined to see it through. That aspect of her has not changed.

Wrote up a preliminary plan for a couple of weeks. Should give us the time to make a more detailed schedule.

I hope they succeed in their endeavour.

* * *

**Juliana**

I just heard the news about this Ghost Ship that's been terrorizing the waters! How perfectly terrifying! If we could go out there and put a stop to it, my name would be known throughout the Northern Seas for sure!

Of course, trying to chase down that vessel would be tricky in and of itself, especially since this horrid fog is limiting all of our visibility. But I'll not be daunted by a mere freak weather phenomenon! The pride and honour of House Stagarad is at stake.

I asked Zack about it after he came back from today's excursion into the Labyrinth, but he seemed rather hesitant, pointing out that we weren't really equipped to deal with ghosts. As much as I hate to admit it, he's right on that front. Perhaps if I asked around town I could find some information on how to waylay the monstrosity!

Ah, I almost forgot to note down! I've successfully mastered enchanting weapons with various elemental properties. I've currently mastered flame and ice, now all that's left is volt. And if the tome I'm reading proves through, I should be able to release this enchantment as a wave of destructive energy. I can only imagine how grand it will look!

* * *

**Sidney**

Monsters Killed: Iron Turtle x 2, Rock Coral x 3, Coral Octopus x 2

Items Collected: Century Shell x 1, Sharp Knob x 2

Writing slowly today because… well, pretty much my entire upper torso hurts like the dickens. At least we managed to find what I _think_ is the correct way further down.

Ran into some kind of armoured turtle on the eighth floor. At first we managed to kill with without too much trouble so I didn't think too much of it until I ran into another one and it vomited what looked like… I dunno, a wave of ice crystals of something that knocked me flat on my back. We still managed to put it down, but I wasn't in any shape to keep going, and neither was Rook, so we just agreed to turn back.

Adrian came into my room a while ago with that silly grin she gets on her face whenever Pure makes her another batch of fruit juice. Apparently he asked her to train him or something in exchange for the juice, and personally I think it's kind of sweet… in an odd way. I asked her how the session went and she mumbled that Pure's got a long way to go.

Gonna be honest here, I'm not sure Pure's got the motivation to go through with this. I mean, he's probably toughening up right now because he's scared of dying or something like that, but if Adrian works him half as hard as she works herself, he's going to opt out within a couple of weeks. A month, at most.

In other news, I hear people around the Guild (well, it's mostly Lady Juliana) are talking about going out there and hunting down the thing. I've heard some tales of Jolly Roger back in the day (well, mostly by maids whispering to each other back in the estate) and I don't think anything involving him is something we should get tangled up with. Even if it's just his leftover ship or whatever.

But of course we _have_ to get that thing out of our waters. We can't trade as long as this goes on. I wonder how Dad feels about the latest development. These days it's like one new monster after another keeps popping up and stirring up the seas between Armoroad and the Northern Continent. I thought we were actually making some headway by clearing the infestation around Batavia and killing the Hammerhead shark, but now they're crawling out of the woodwork!

… I guess if someone has to take the Ghost Ship, it might as well be those with battle experience.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 25th of the Month of the Golden Eagle, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire

I've noticed a growing sentiment amongst the Guild that we should be involved in putting down the Ghost Ship that's appeared recently. While I can appreciate the obvious advantages of such a move (for one, it'd clear up the damnable fog), I'm hesitant to divert resources away from the search for the Oceanmaster, especially when we appear to be nearing the end of the search for the Deep City. I'll suppose I'll see what I can arrange, most importantly the ability to locate the Ghost Ship with some degree of accuracy.

In other news, Melina recently requested for me to help train her in the usage of a lance and shield. I… am honestly not sure why she feels the need for that. I questioned her if the bodyguards she entered the Labyrinth with was insufficient and she insisted that while they were immensely useful, she wanted to be able to depend on herself more.

I told her I would think about it and right now I'm going through my schedule, trying to see if I can ever get enough free time to actually train someone. I'd suggest she ask Wooster, but I honestly cannot see the two of them getting along at all.


	44. Decision

Entry Forty Four

* * *

**Rook**

Tortuga.

That's there the Ghost Ship's… hiding out? Docked? Point is, it's down there. A group of foolhardy pirates managed to catch sight of it and tried to chase it down. They managed to find out where it was docking before they had to turn back, so that's something.

There's pretty serious talk amongst our lot of going down to hunt it ourselves. I don't want to sound too negative, but doesn't this kinda take away from our goal of finding this Oceanmaster Ketos and the Deep City? Don't want to waste too much of our resources on a sideshow, after all.

Alexis herself doesn't appear to have decided on anything yet, so aside from wandering around the Labyrinth a bit, most of us didn't have much to do today. I guess we kinda need a break – it's a been a lot to take in at once. Somehow I can't help but wonder if the Oceanmaster's getting annoyed at us taking so long.

Midori's just as quiet as ever today. She was just starting to come out of her shell after recovering her memory too, then Agata and Hypatia went and got killed. Now she barely ever talks. But it's not like after she got her memory back, where she had that look in her eyes like she was lost and wasn't quite sure what to do. Now the only thing I see in her eyes is determination, and more than a hint of anger. She spent the whole day training and I think she skipped dinner too. She's going to self-destruct at this rate.

* * *

**Pure**

Profit: 0 en

Every muscle, every sinew, every fibre of my body _aches_ with the undying intensity of a Kraken's stare. I haven't this bad ever since I accepted the dare to try some of Madame Guscini's frog stew. I can barely find the strength to pick up this pen and write.

And the worst part was that after I was flat out on the floor groaning, the only thing Adrian could say was a puzzled sounding "Huh. It shouldn't have taken _that_ much out of you."

I mean, I've been going into the Labyrinth for a good while (and running away in terror), so I always thought I wasn't that out of shape… at least, not compared to any of the real fighters. Guess I was proven wrong.

At least Adrian had brought along two jugs of water with her (apparently her master makes her run around with them on her back in the morning for training. How have her shoulders not mutinied I do not know) and knowing that I'd need it, she'd made sure it was fresh water this morning. Thank god.

There was absolutely no question of me actually doing any gathering today, and if all of Adrian's sessions are going to be like this I think I might end up losing my job here in the first place.

Ow. My body still hurts.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 26th of the Month of the Golden Eagle, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire

I've collected reports from Sidney, Clay, Jared and Tinker on why we should devote time to finding and destroying the Ghost Ship.

Sidney's motivations are easy to understand – she's always had the interests of Armoroad at heart, and now the Ghost Ship is directly threatening it. Of course, I'd hoped to bring her with me to fight the Oceanmaster, but I suspect she'll just be glad to know that the Ship is removed. She still appears hesitant – apparently growing up in Armoroad has given her plenty of horror stories about the strength of the Jolly Roger and the Ship that apparently houses his will.

Clay… well, I suspect she just wants a fight, and for whatever reason she'd prefer one against the Ghost Ship than the Oceanmaster. She had a rather creative way of wording such, however. Something about how nothing from the past should be bullying the present. I'm not entirely sure if that means what I think it means.

Jared just wants the seas safe again. I guess I can assume that Relena agrees with him on this point, I haven't seen enough of her to be sure.

Tinker was a bit of a surprise. I admit I don't know very much about him, he's been friendly enough with the others ever since joining the Guild but he never spent very long talking to me. He seemed unusually serious today, and his demand that the Ghost Ship be destroyed came as a bit of a surprise to me. Apparently one of his friends in the Navy was assigned to hunt the Ghost Ship and he never came back.

I suppose even if we defeat the Oceanmaster this problem with the Ghost Ship and the fog isn't going to go away. Now I wonder if we should prioritize one over the other or try to accomplish both goals in roughly the same time period.

I think I'll ask Jules about this. Giving him more chances to exercise his authority can only be a good thing in this context.


	45. The Dangerous Ocean

Entry Forty Five

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 27th of the Month of the Golden Eagle, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire

Well, I've split up the duties as best I can. Rook, Clay, Asmodeus, Geoffrey and Tinker will be heading to Tortuga to put down the Ghost Ship. They'll be departing in a couple of hours, in fact. Rook posits that it'll take most of the day to reach there, so any potential encounter would take place at nightfall, with them returning the next day. I've already sent them my well wishes and bade them good fortune in their endeavour, so all that's left is to wait.

And to continue deeper into the Labyrinth, of course. His Majesty will be leading the charge to find Oceanmaster Ketos. Naturally, I'll be backing him up in this endeavour, and Sidney, Midori and Rossa will be joining us. We've put off finding him for long enough already and I want to bring this to an end.

We will depart at sundown. I'm not sure how long it will take for us to find the Oceanmaster, but the general agreement was that we should not turn back unless we absolutely have to or we've accomplished out goals. With that in mind, I'll be packing several tents and sufficient supplies for a trip lasting several days.

Armoroad's lore states that the Labyrinth progresses even further down beyond the level we are in. The Deep City might not be the heart of the Labyrinth – in that case, finding it will be but another step in the path his Majesty must walk. I just hope he doesn't get wild hopes about the end of his journey being in sight – even after finding the Deep City we've a long journey ahead of us.

I've noticed that Pure appeared unusually exhausted yesterday and I arose early enough today to catch sight of Adrian apparently training him. That, or it could have been an interesting and unusual form of torture. Well, anything that gets him off his rear end more often is okay in my book.

* * *

**Rook**

Been about two hours since we set out from port in search of the Ghost Ship, and frankly navigating through the seas is just a big pain the butt. If I didn't have maps that told me which way was up I'd be wandering blind.

Not that I haven't had to make more than one pit stop at islands along the way to get my bearings. Since I'm in charge of this lot for as long as we're out on this trip I'm responsible for making sure they don't mess up too much. Dwayne was tossing bombs off into the ocean earlier just for the hell of it. And he's supposed to be in the military.

Asmodeus and Geoffrey are pretty much keeping to themselves, especially with the fog apparently being too cold for the scholar's tastes, so he's pretty much stuck under the decks. I'm not sure if Clay's feeling cold (Lord knows she doesn't wear much) but so far she doesn't say much other than helping out with keeping the ship running.

Dwayne's actually been somewhat useful since I put him on lookout duty. At least his eyes are sharp enough to spot things in the water that we don't want to hit.

Jolly Roger. It's been a long, long time since I've heard that name. Come to think of it, we never had any confirmation if the Ghost Ship really is tied to him or not. Well, either way, we're going to be fighting this thing and putting it down (hopefully for good) so I guess it doesn't change that much.

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Anxious

Master's been out for a while now. It's fine though. He's good, one of the best. He can handle himself. Never met anything that could put him down

I just wish he weren't on a boat out in the middle of the ocean. In the fog. Ugh. He's always making me worry. And he's got no sense of direction too. He'll just be deadweight! Until it's time for the actual fighting, of course.

Sheesh.

Anyway, Pure's still looking like a wreck after our session today. I dunno, sometimes I feel like I should go easier on him, and sometimes I look at the exercises I give and wonder if they're not hard enough. Maybe I should ask Master to sit in on training session next time. I'm still learning myself, it can't hurt to have a better teacher with me, right?

Right.

Sidney's just finishing gearing up to head down into the Labyrinth to find the Oceanmaster and try to get him to let us into the Deep City. That she's packing twice the usual number of her explosives rounds probably shows how optimistic she is about avoiding a fight with the guy. Wish I could do more for her than wishing her good luck. (Melina stopped by to hand out some packed lunches for them. Too bad I can't cook.)

* * *

**Melina**

I haven't had much chance to write lately, have I? Especially these past couple of days, with Pure being too tired to head out into the Labyrinth.

Well, in any case, Ms. Alexis has set out to hunt down the Oceanmaster. This should be the last push – once we've beaten this person, we should be able to access the Deep City.

Well, to be honest, I must admit to being a bit disappointed. I mean, I always wanted to become a great explorer, and when I first joined up with the Guild I thought I'd finally get my chance. I know, I know, I'm not the best fighter around, but I thought I'd be able to grow stronger here and to… well, actually contribute. I know my job's vital for the upkeep of the Guild, but still, I'd have liked to have done more.

I wonder if after they find the Deep City there'll be anything left to do with the Labyrinth. I can't help but hope there is.

* * *

**Jared**

Went out for dinner and a drink with Relena today. Didn't stay out long, but caught some mumbling from others in the place. Apparently I've been here long enough for them to start recognizing me as part of the Paragon Guild.

'Course, that also means that Paragon's also been here long enough to start making a name for itself. I know there've been more than a few people that tried to sign up with the Guild that Alexis has turned down (which makes me wonder what they were like given that people like me and Tinker and Juliana in to the thing.

There're more than a couple bunches who've set up tent in here for ages, and haven't made so much of a lick of progress in the past year. Then we come in for, what, a month and a half? And start cleaning house. No surprise they give us dirty looks in public. Oh well, comes with the job I guess.

Dinner wasn't half bad. Relena mentioned that she was worried about the other ninja girl - Midori. I can't say that I saw anything wrong, but then again Relena's always been more perceptive than me about this kind of thing.

* * *

**Midori**

Tristan

Satomi

Mike

Cecilia

Agata

Hypatia

I'll put an end to this soon.


	46. VS the Ghost Ship, Jolly Roger's Legacy

Entry Forty Six

* * *

**Rook**

God damn.

The St. Eris is a wreck right now. No big surprise, after the pounding we took from the Ghost Ship. At least we gave as good as we got so it's now mostly driftwood.

Honestly wasn't expecting to see it when we did. By my reckoning it was just past midnight and we were still about an hour away from Tortuga when Dwayne noticed something coming up to us from the portside. We barely had time to draw our weapons before the Ghost Ship unloaded its first salvo on us. The cannon had some kinda magic on them that made them burst into flame when they fired. _Fortunately_, its aim was lousy the first time round so it didn't do hit the St. Eris the first go around.

Clay took a running jump over onto the deck of the ship before I could yell at her not to be an idiot. I lost sight of her for a good while, mainly because I was trying to steer the ship into a position that I could unload our own cannon into the thing. In the meantime Dwayne made for a sort of substitute with his bow by chucking explosives at the hull of the ship, but it seemed to me that it wasn't having that much of an effect.

The second salvo scored hits on our ship and apparently one of them hit Dwayne too. Geoffrey had to pull him away and start tending to him while Asmodeus starting freezing the water around the Ghost Ship to prevent it from moving too fast. Not too sure how well that worked, but he kept at it through the fight so either he thought it helped or he was just being stubborn.

It continued like that for a while, mostly us exchanging fire and me wondering what the blazes Clay was doing back there on the ship. By my estimates, it was nearly an hour later with me wondering if the St. Eris could possibly withstand another volley of cannon fire when there was this cracking sound and the Ghost Ship began to break apart.

And I don't mean like a normal ship breaks apart when it can't hold itself together anymore. It literally began dissolving into the mist and the last thing that happened just before it vanished completely was Clay jumping off the side of the ship and into the water. After I anchored the ship I went belowdecks to get a sense of the damage to the boat while Asmodeus and Dwayne hauled Clay back in.

When she came out, she was clutching some sort of fancy rapier thing and later she tossed it to me saying I might as well use it since old Jolly Roger didn't need it any more. Huh. Have to remember to thank her for that one.

That aside, we've turned and begun the journey back and it's slow going, what with the St. Eris looking like it'd shatter if it bumped into a rock and all. At least the fog's started to clear up a little, so I guess we solved the problem for now.

Boy could I use a good nap. I wonder how Alexis is doing with that Oceanmaster guy?

* * *

**Clay**

Shit. It's been nearly two hours since we finished off that Ghost Ship and I still feel a chill in my bones. Sure, jumping onto the deck of that fucking thing probably wasn't the smartest of ideas, but… still. Shit. Gotta get the mages and monks and whatnot to do a runover later, make sure I haven't picked up any… I dunno, ghost aura or some shit.

Spent most of my time on the boat smashing things. I'm still not quite sure whether or not I actually did anything, but hell, I'm also not sure how the hell a Ghost Ship managed to move on its own, so no harm, no foul.

Eventually found my way into what I guess was the stateroom? Probably had no business being there right about then (especially since Rook'd just fired another shot into the side of the ship) but there was an awfully shiny rapier on the table there and I remember Rook uses those. Funny thing, though, after I grabbed it the ship started to break apart. Not sure if the two were connected or anything.

Anyway, now we're stuck on a shitty floating piece of swiss cheese trying to make it back to Armoroad before the whole thing gives up on us. I should probably stop writing – Rook's gonna want my help with bailing this thing out.

* * *

**Pure**

Today's Profit: 47 en

The St. Eris crawled into port just before sundown today, looking like someone had tried to scrap it and then got bored just before he was done. Of course their success wasn't ever much in doubt, considering that the fog started clearing up with the sunrise and it was almost all gone by afternoon.

So, yeah, another threat to Armoroad dealt with, peace, prosperity and a free chicken for all. Adrian kept pestering he master for details, but he didn't say much (he doesn't ever) and then later she came by and started grousing that she never gets brought along for any of the big fights.

You can tell she's worried about Sidney too. Started out late yesterday and we haven't heard anything about them. She had this distant look in her eyes as she ordered me to run my seventh lap around the town square. (I collapsed after the eighth, and I don't want to write more about this.)

Maybe they found the Oceanmaster already and they're convinced him to let them into the Deep City or something. I can't dream, can't I? I just hope they come back soon. Otherwise we're going to have to organize a rescue mission, and no one likes rescue missions.

* * *

**Tinker**

Ah. Long journey out to see, an enemy that pounces on you from behind, a long drawn out firefight you don't even know if you have a prayer of winning, and all of a sudden it's over and you've won and you're headed home as you chug back a bottle of rum.

It's like I never left the Navy at all.

Still, gotta say that fighting that thing was a new experience. Not only was it a Ghost Ship… thing, but most of my shots weren't doing anything to it at all. I dunno if it's weird ghost physics or whatever, but if they made it so explosions and fire don't work against ships… well, that's just dirty pool, I say.

Got greeted by cheering crowds when we stepped down the gangplank. Guess the Paragon Guild's something of a household name now, at least amongst Armoroad. Last time anyone paid any attention to me when I got off a ship was when I almost blew it up by accident.

Could do with a nice hot meal right about now.

* * *

**Jules**

Ran into another one of those stupid Abyssal Deaths. Managed to get away without having to take it down, but seriously, _way_ too many things down here want us dead.

Decided to set up a tent in the Labyrinth tonight and finish our hunt for the Oceanmaster tomorrow. Alexis didn't say anything, but you can tell she was thinking about the last time we stayed overnight in the Grotto. At least this time we know to be on our guard, so it won't be all bad… I hope. It's our second night out here anyway.

Sidney and Rossa dropped off quickly, but Alexis, being Alexis is still awake in her sleeping bag (I _told_ her I'd wake her when my watch ended, but noooo) and Midori was pacing up and done the camping room nonstop. When I told her that she should probably get some rest she just shook her head and told me she wasn't tired.

For her sake, I really hope we can put an end to this soon. I think out of all of us down here right now, she's the only one who really _wants_ a fight with the Oceanmaster and Olympia and… hell, whoever else they have in between us and the Deep City.

Times like this I really wish I knew what to do. Alexis seems content leaving her be, but she's always stoic about _everything_. I think other people just work differently from the way she does. Talking to Rook helped a bit, but that was before Agata and Hypatia.

Maybe finishing this will give her some peace of mind. I don't know. I hope so.


	47. Vs Oceanmaster Ketos

Entry Forty Seven

(X)

**Sidney**

Monsters Defeated: Oceanmaster Ketos x 1

Items Collected: Whale Fumarole x 1, Tough Membrane x 1

Of all the things I anticipated when facing down the Oceanmaster, I can safely say that a massive white whale was not what I had in mind. When we opened the door to its chamber, it he spoke to us. He said that we were indeed resourceful to have come this far, but that it would end here.

And then he attacked us. There was no time given for parley or, well, or anything. I suppose we all suspected that it would be how things would turn out from the moment we saw each other, so we all reacted quickly enough.

The fight took really long, too. I guess durability comes with the territory of being a whale, and all. It was a lot faster than I thought it would be, too. I mean, Midori could keep up with it fine, but Rossa and I had a bit of trouble with making our hits connect. That's not including the times he blew air out of his blowhole and churned the water up so much that just catching sight of him was a chore.

At times he would gather the water up around himself and… sort of throw it. I don't know how it worked, probably magic of some kind, but it was telegraphed enough and easy to dodge. Good thing too, 'cause whenever it struck the walls of floor it gouged a huge chunk out of stone. Man, I don't want to think about what a hit like that would do to muscle and bone.

So it was going pretty well, we were even able to keep scoring hits on it, and it actually looked like we would be able to win it. Rossa seemed to have some trouble keeping up the pace, but that's understandable since she's thirteen, and in any case Ketos didn't target her much.

And then the big whale opened his mouth. I don't think it ever 'talked' with that. Mostly used some kind of telepathy or something. I wasn't sure what to expect, but a song wasn't it. I was already pretty tired out from the fighting, and when the sound hit me I had to fight the urge to just roll over and go to sleep. So it had a magic sleep spell of some kind on it. I was able to shrug it off (and reply with another round of explosives to Ketos' underbelly) but Rossa and Prince Jules weren't so lucky. Out like lights, those two.

And _then_ Ketos revved up another one of its 'throw the ocean at us' attacks. I got out of the way, and Rossa was off to the side a bit, but a slumbering Jules was directly in the way of the wave. So of _course_ Alexis had to dive in and kick him off to the side and take the full brunt of the attack herself. She was sent flying, and given all the armour she wears I'm gonna guess that's not an easy task to manage. By that point Ketos was on his last legs, and I managed to deal the final shot – just below the eye (that area had some kind of coral armour on it, but we'd broken it off in the course of the fight).

His last words were to congratulate us for our valour, and that the way to the Deep City was now open. I guess I was the only one actually paying attention at that point – Rossa was still asleep, Midori looked as if she couldn't have cared less, and Jules was frantically trying to wake up Alexis.

It was

I'm not sure what it _was_ like. All I thought was that it shouldn't have come down to a fight to the death, and why he had to attack us on sight in the first place. Anyway, even if the path to the Deep City 'lay open', we had to get medical treatment for Alexis ASAP, so we warped out of there.

Also, I salvaged what I could from the Ketos', although I gotta say I felt kinda dirty doing it. It was… well, _aware_. It was kind of like I was looting a human corpse, but I still did it anyway. I turned the stuff over to Geoffrey when I got back out because I didn't want to think about it any longer.

Oh, yeah, Rook's team handled the Ghost Ship thing fine. Fog's cleared up completely in Armoroad by now. That's good, I guess

(X)

**Midori**

Ketos is dead. That's fine, I guess, but Alexis got badly wounded in the process. She's stable but still unconscious, and she's been like that the whole afternoon and evening.

He's not the one I'm really after anyway. I need to find Olympia. Once I find her, it'll end. Everything will end.

Rook was waiting for me when I got back from the dungeon. He had a new sword of some kind and the fog was gone, so I guess he succeeded in killing the Ghost Ship or… or whatever it was. He asked me about how the fight went and I basically shrugged and told him it went fine.

It's not that I want to blow him off or anything. But I just can't afford distractions right now. I can't. Not until Olympia's dead.

(X)

**Geoffrey**

Thought for the Day: Courage should not be confused with recklessness

Alexis' wounds are heavy.

Massive force was applied to her, and her back was subsequently slammed onto something hard – probably a stone wall of the Labyrinth.

She is lucky her spine was not cracked.

Not as life-threatening as the ambush by the Sea Wanderers, but likely to have a longer period of recovery.

Jules is keeping a constant vigil at her side.

He feels guilty for her being harmed on his behalf.

I've chosen to leave them be aside from applying treatment to Alexis

Adrian and Pure continue to get along well.

I've been invited to sit in on one of their training sessions and to offer advice. I believe I shall do just that.

(X)

**Jules**

Alexis got injured again.

And it's all my fault again.

That attack, that _song_ Ketos was singing. Whatever it was, I should have been able to withstand the effects. Alexis, Sidney and Midori could, so why couldn't I?

And if I'd been able to stay awake, then that stupid wave attack wouldn't have hit me – and Alexis wouldn't have to throw me out of the way and take the hit herself.

If Alexis were awake right now I'd now what she'd say. Probably something about how it was her duty to protect me in the first place, and that she did what she was supposed to do. And that just makes me feel more guilty.

I mean, there was always the understanding that maybe Alexis would be wounded (while _I_ wasn't) by coming along, and that it might be because she was protecting me, but now that I'm actually experiencing it… it's like a hit to the gut, to be honest.

She shouldn't need to suffer on my behalf.

(X)

**Asmodeus**

Interesting. The way to the Deep City is open, at long last. By now, it is almost certain that it is indeed still around in some fashion. I can only wonder about what exactly it will look like when at last I venture down there.

I _am _rather displeased with Rossa having been involved in fighting the Oceanmaster at all, but according to Sidney she performed well enough and I suppose that she would be a good enough judge.

The fabled Deep City… I hear we'll be making an expedition there tomorrow regardless of whether Alexis has woken by that time (not that I think she'd be ready for a trip even if she were conscious). I can only wonder what awaits us there.

Horoscope: Dreams can disappoint even when it is all you want it to be.


	48. The Deep City

Entry Forty Eight

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 29th of the Month of the Golden Eagle, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire

I've neither the time nor energy to write much right now, but I suppose it is important that I record what has just occurred.

We've apparently made contact with the Deep City. I was not present at that point, what with being unconscious at the time, but I am given to understanding that the contact was brief and largely hostile. I think Olympia was involved, and I recall them saying something about her not actually being human, but I don't have the details on that right now.

Apparently there's also been some confusion about the report to the Senatus. I'm not sure exactly what occurred, and when I asked Jules he just shook his head and told me he'd handle any bureaucratic issues, and that I should focus on recovering my strength.

As long as we're on the subject of Jules, he's been acting oddly again. He probably feels guilty about me getting injured or some other nonsense of that sort. I'll need to have a talk with him and straighten that out.

* * *

**Jules**

I got called away to be part of the official visit to the Deep City during the early morning. I honestly wanted to watch of over Alexis, but Geoffrey convinced me that as leader of the Guild, I needed to be present for the first contact. For somewhat obvious reasons, I elected not to take Midori along.

Anyway, we managed to navigate our way through the second stratum fairly quickly. When we reached the chamber where the Oceanmaster had been waiting, I noted that his body was no longer there – apparently denizens of the Deep City had decided to the take it away, probably for burial or… something. In any case, the beasts that normally swarmed over the rest of the Labyrinth didn't show up there, so I'll assume he hasn't been eaten by scavengers, if only for my

When we first stepped down into the Deep City, I have to admit that I was shocked by what I saw. I mean, it was always referred to as the Deep City, but the entire area looked almost as big as Amoroad itself. I didn't have the chance to take a close look, but the materials they used to build their homes didn't look like anything I know.

In any case, we had barely entered the Deep City when we were confronted by Olympia. As it turns out, she's a golem of some kind, built with metal and wires. I hadn't heard of any animated golems being able to achieve sentience, but her behaviour was far too natural to have been achieved by some programmed spell.

After drawing me aside, Olympia said that since I had now discovered the Deep City I had achieved my goals and there was no longer a reason to stay here, and then she asked me not to reveal the Deep City to anyone back in Armoroad. Well, not 'ask' so much as 'demand' in a flat tone.

To be perfectly honest, I considered refusing her to her face, if only for the satisfaction of turning down the person who had led us into an ambush and fully expected us to be dead by the end of the day. But as a representative of the Empire, I wasn't supposed to let my impulses get the better of me.

Especially when we were in the middle of the Deep City without any backup.

I questioned her on her reasoning behind wanting to keep the Deep City a secret but she simply shook her head and repeated her demand. Finally I told her I couldn't give her an answer on such an important matter right now, but I would think it over. That… _seemed_ to satisfy her, but she requested that we turn around and head back to the surface via a Submagnetic Pole that was apparently on the city outskirts.

Offhand I'm not sure how it all went horribly wrong, but I guess the thread can be somewhat narrowed down to me mentioning to the others on the way back not to talk about the Deep City just yet, Sidney going to visit her parents and telling them about her discovery, her parents talking to the other merchants and some of the lower nobles, and the news apparently reaching the Senatus. Within the space of a single day.

At least they don't appear to have thought that I was deliberately keeping this information from them. And now they want us to be part of an official delegation into the Deep City. I honestly don't think I could care less right now.

I just realized I've written so much about what actually occurred today and I was barely thinking about all of that as I went through the motions. Mostly I was worried about Alexis. When I came back to the recovery ward at the inn she'd just woken up and was trying to sit up in bed. I told her about what happened today, leaving out some details I knew would only get her riled up. Now that she's asleep again I'm basically sitting at her bedside making sure nothing happens to her.

Expenditure on supplies: 160 en

Expenditure on equipment: 1200 en

Expenditure, Misc: 23 en

Total Income: 0 en

Total Profit Earned: -1383 en

Total Current Funds: 6148 en

* * *

**Sidney**

Oh man, I really messed up. Jules wanted to keep the discovery of the Deep City a secret for a bit; apparently there was something about not upsetting the residents there. I guess I can see the logic. Kind of?

But then I got too excited when I saw mom and dad today and it all came out about how _pretty_ the Deep City was and what it was like seeing Yggdrasil – the actual, _live_ Yggdrasil - that… I kinda let my mouth run. And that was that, as they say.

I don't know what's going to happen to the relations between Armoroad and the Deep City. But, whatever happens, I know I want to be there to see it through.

* * *

**Asmodeus**

Our stay in the Deep City was entirely too brief for my liking. However, that also means that I've empirically confirmed its existence. I've already sent a message back to Master Hale about this discovery, and now all I've to do is wait for the reply, even though I can all but guarantee they'll want me to study it further.

Hopefully we can return to the Deep City soon enough for me to begin my studies. Of course, there's far too much for a single person to properly study there, but with any luck there'll be a number of other scholars itching to begin as well.

Horoscope:

Silent again.


	49. Diplomacy

Entry Forty Nine

* * *

**Jules**

More travelling back and forth between Armoroad and the Deep City today. Of course most of it was done at the behest of the Senatus, but beyond a certain point I really don't see why they have to keep using us as their go-betweens. Maybe if I reminded them that I'm technically royalty from an entirely different country that has nothing to do with either side they'd stop using me as an errand boy.

Yeah yeah, all Guilds subservient to the Senatus for duration of their existence. Fine. Whatever.

Regardless, we had to wait around while they prepared a bunch of gifts and presents they deemed worthy of being presented to the ruler of the Deep City. While we were there Rook pointed out that Armoroad and the Deep City were supposed to be from the same place, so wouldn't they have all this stuff already? Maybe their culture diverged in the past hundred years or something. Meanwhile, I had to worry about how Olympia was going to react when I showed up in front of her with over two dozen people from Armoroad. I guess that's why I brought along some of the other Guild members. Just in case things got ugly.

Of course, as it turned out nobody came to blows, although Olympia looked rather grumpy as she went to inform her king that we wanted an audience with him. I had an opportunity to meet him myself, he seemed rather distracted. In any case, after the requisite exchange of greetings, he invited me and the others who came with me to spend the night in the Deep City.

I told him I had other matters to attend to back in Armoroad (Alexis, mostly), but that the others in the delegation would be willing to take him up on his offer. I hope he wasn't insuled or anything, but I honestly don't have the time to waste.

When I got back to Armoroad I learnt that Zeetha and Atahualpa entered the Labyrinth today without telling us first. Probably nothing important.

Geoffrey's told me that Alexis is recovering and should be back on her feet by tomorrow. She spent most of the day asleep or writing in her own diary, mentioning once that this enforced bedrest was going to throw off her training routine.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 30th of the Month of the Golden Eagle, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire

His Majesty refused an invitation from the monarch of the Deep City so he could come back and sit by me bedside while I recuperate.

I don't even want to go into the sheer number of social mistakes he had to make in order to end up in this situation. Even after all this time, his Majesty remains as hopeless as ever.

Not that I don't appreciate the concern he's shown me, of course. But… the positions we have mean that we can't just do as we please. That, and the issue of Armoroad and the Deep City attempting to establish trade relations. As a matter being decided between two sovereign states, we really shouldn't have any part in the proceedings on the behalf of either, and if push comes to shove, we should be doing whatever it is that will benefit the Empire.

That being said, I wonder what sort of person this so-called Abyssal King is like. Did he condone (or order) Olympia's repeated ambushes in the sixth floor? I would like to meet him in person at least once.

* * *

**Rook**

Jules managed to foist off responsibility for staying in the Deep City tonight to me. Man, comfortable as the rooms are, I can't really get used to seeing fish swimming by the window. Not to mention that the Abyssal King guy's got a look in his eyes… gives me the creeps. And I'm not too sure about being in the same city as Olympia either, especially when she quite clearly wants us out of here.

Aside from that, gotta say that the people here are doing pretty well for themselves. They seem to have a lot of high tech stuff that Armoroad doesn't. I managed to ask around a bit, and apparently everyone attributes this to Yggdrasil providing a plentiful source of energy and knowledge and power and whatever.

No wonder the people in Armoroad wanted this place back so much.

Now, aside from the place here being all shiny and glowy, some of the people here seem… I dunno, off. Not like Olympia, who's apparently not even human. There's always this undercurrent of tension from the people around here. I don't think it comes from us (I mean, we've got twenty, twenty five people here at most), so… gotta wonder about that.

* * *

**Melina**

I went to see Ms. Edie today to sell off some of the stuff I'd managed to pick up from the Labyrinth, plus Sidney also handed me some things she harvested from the body of that whale she fought.

When I got there Ms. Edie looked rather worried, and kept pacing back and forth. It was nearly a minute before she noticed me. Well naturally I asked her if anything was the matter, and she told me that her sister had been chosen as part of the delegate to have an audience with the Abyssal King.

Well the Paragon Guild was supposed to head down there as well, so we got to talking about what we thought the Deep City was like. Ms. Edie kept clucking her tongue and hoping that her sister didn't make a bad first impression on the rulers of the Deep City or she'd _never_ get her license to set up a branch in the Deep City.

Guess Ms. Edie really does never miss a trick for getting more money. I don't know whether I should admire or be repelled by it. I mean, a good work ethic's nice and all, but…

Anyway, I hope I get my chance to visit the Deep City soon. The people who've already been there keep talking about what a wondrous place it is. I hope I can see it for myself.

* * *

**Pure**

Today's Profit: 74 en

So we've reached the Deep City.

Yay.

I heard there's supposed to be another set of caverns that lead even further down. These ones are supposed to be filled with lava.

Double yay.

Adrian thinks I'm ready to progress from 'running around the town square' to 'running around the town square carrying weights at the same time'.

Fuck me.


	50. A Moment of Rest

Entry Fifty

* * *

**Jules**

Was called down into the Deep City for a meeting with the Abyssal King Seyfried. Seyfried. I think it used to be a rather common name a while back, but that was before I was born yet.

Regardless, the message he had for me was that he would allow select groups of people entrance into the Deep City – chiefly people who had credentials as explorers. According to him, there was no question that the Guild that had the honour of being the first one to discover the Deep City after a hundred years would be extended this rare privilege.

I couldn't help but notice Olympia glaring daggers at me throughout the course of this exchange. I think I'll be avoiding the palace, if only to avoid running into her so often.

I also went to check out the entrance to the Third Stratum of the Labyrinth. Apparently the locals call it the Molten Caves. Not very difficult to figure out why. I've noticed a few of the Deep City locals standing guard at the entrance, although I really can't fathom why, considering that according to the Abyssal King, his own people very rarely enter the Labyrinth. Plus, they seemed more interested in preventing things from coming out than anyone from going in.

Huh. Now that I think about it, it really is rather peculiar. Maybe I should try to figure out a bit more.

Regardless, I think we'll be taking a short break from Labyrinth diving. I mean, we've accomplished a fair bit over the course of two months, I think we earned ourselves a breather. I should probably write some replies to those letters from the palace, too.

That, and I'd like to explore the Deep City itself. There don't seem to be very many restaurants around here, but I was recommended one by one of the Abyssal King's aides. I've invited Alexis along with me – treating her to dinner's the least I can do.

* * *

**Geoffrey**

Thought of the Day: Surprises abound in the world, even for the experienced.

I have visited the Deep City.

It is far too dark for my liking.

It also has a very soothing atmosphere.

People are friendly and welcoming, even without having many visitors in ages.

That makes Olympia's insistence on keeping us out even stranger.

I wish to investigate the matter further.

(I sat in on Adrian's training session today. She's probably pushing Pure a bit harder than is wise.)

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Relaxed

Took a trip to the Deep City today. Well, most of the Guild did. Sidney didn't, though. I'm not sure if Master likes the place, but for what it's worth, the atmosphere of the Deep City's really cosy.

I went to the shopping district of the Deep City with Pure in the afternoon, and mostly we just hung out. That, and Pure bought some salve for what he claims are aching muscles. Mostly we sampled snacks and stuff. The Deep City doesn't really have an industry for tourists, at least not like Armoroad does. I guess that's understandable.

We passed a clothes shop and I originally wanted to walk right on by, but just then the shopkeeper was hanging out some kind of new robe that was the most vibrant green I've ever seen. I guess it caught my eye because nearly everything else in the Deep City is blue. Blue, purple, indigo, blue.

Walked over to get a look at the material, and the storekeeper told me it was made from some kind of plant that could be found in the Third Stratum, and it's really durable too. It also felt really smooth against my fingers.

I would've bought it then and there – my old robe was already in tatters before coming to Armoroad and between all the things with sharp claws and fangs that I've been fighting it's pretty much a few strips of orange cloth hanging together right now – but it was way out of my price range.

Maybe I could save up a bit. Or ask Alexis for a raise. Or something.

It'll probably end up getting sold before the day is out, anyway.

(X)

Pure just stopped by and, get this! He dropped off that robe I'd been eyeing in the afternoon! When I asked him about it, he just shrugged and told me that it was obvious I wanted it but couldn't pay for it, so he'd went and gotten it for me. He spent a bit complaining about how the en wasn't accepted as legal tender in the Deep City or something so he had to make a trip to the Labyrinth to get some pieces of ore to trade off for the robe.

I asked him how I could repay him, and he just shrugged. I'll have to do something to make up for this or I'll just feel bad about myself. Master always says that a good deed done is its own reward, but there's no reason you can't pile on another reward on top of _that_.

But now that I think about it, I don't really know about much of anything besides fighting and training, and I'm already giving him lessons. I'm not good at making things, and I really don't have the money to buy him anything fancy.

Maybe I could ask Sidney for some help.

* * *

**Rook**

A lot of the Guild went down to the Deep City to do some exploring today. Me, I'd already seen more than enough it yesterday so I decided I might as well take a gander at how the repairs on the St. Eris were coming along. We're something of local heroes ever since we took down the Ghost Ship and found the Deep City so they've assigned their best men to the task of fixing the ship.

Still, it's easy to tell that the old girl won't be seaworthy for a while yet. I guess it's for the best that we cut down on all our exploring for the time being. No Labyrinth dives, no wild rides on the open sea. And frankly, if something like another Ghost Ship pops out of nowhere, I'm more than willing to let someone take a crack at it instead of us.

Around evening time I went to take a welcome back the others who were just now coming back after their little jaunt in the Deep City. Spotted Midori looking like she was about to throw up so I walked over and asked her if anything was the matter.

She just shook her head and said no, of course. Then she started to walk off again when I grabbed her hand and asked her to stop. To be honest, I didn't have a clear idea of what I was gonna say anyway, but after a moment's awkward silence I just asked her to join me for dinner.

I chose one of the more out-of-the-way places with the booths that give their customers privacy. She was quiet for most of the meal, but near the end she just started talking about how everyone in the Deep City just acts so goddamned normal and everyone else in the party doesn't seem to care that Olympia murdered her friends and Agata and Hypatia, and they're just walking around enjoying themselves, and all the rage and anger that's bottled up inside her is almost physically choking her.

I pointed out that the rest of the Deep City didn't have anything to do with the murders, and that even if they didn't like the Abyssal King or Olympia they had to play nice for the sake of Armoroad, but Midori just shook her head after that and muttered that she didn't want to talk about it anymore.

We've got to do something about Midori. She's just hurting herself like this.

* * *

**Midori**

Today was… so surreal. I was walking down the streets of the enemy's city, and the whole time I was wondering what in here was so god damned special that so many people had to die to keep them out of this place. And now that we've killed their guardian whale they're all 'Oh well, okay then, you can come in whenever?'

Talk about your sick jokes.

No one else seems to care either. I saw Adrian and Pure waking down one of their streets shopping, Jared and Relena talking to some of the Deep City citizens, Rossa making friends with one of the girls at the inn, and even Jules and Alexis going off for dinner at one of the restaurants together. Don't they remember that Olympia tried to kill them?

And Olympia. She spends most of the time around the palace and rarely came out. I probably won't be able to ambush her there, what with all the guards around. I'll have to be clever about this. She'll probably head out to the Labyrinth again sooner or later. Gotta keep her quota of bodies, after all. If I'm careful enough, I should be able to get her alone.

I'm still not sure about that weird metal body of hers, though. I'll need to figure out more about that before I can be sure I'll be able to take her down.

* * *

**Pure**

Today's Profit: 0 en

I'm surprised my shoulders are still connected to the rest of my body, to be honest. I mean, who knew a pair of lead balls could be so blasted _heavy_ after a few minutes of carrying them?

Anyway, today's session ended up with me flat on my back wheezing for air. As usual. But _this_ time Adrian's master was there and he asked her about what she'd done to help me recover and cool down after the sessions. Usually it involves dunking water on me, and she said as much. He sighed and told her to massage my muscles, and I'm not too sure what her reply was but I know it involved a lot of stammering.

Well, apparently Adrian knows a bit about massages, because I felt a whole lot better than I usually did after she finished. I mean, I could actually swing my arms!

Then later on in the day we went to the Deep City and Adrian spotted this robe. I could tell that she wanted it a whole lot but didn't have the money to drop for it, so I figured I'd be nice and buy it for her as a present.

Turns out they don't accept en as a form of money. We're gonna have to set up an exchange rate sooner or later, but for now I had to waste a couple of hours getting into the Labyrinth and mining some valuable rocks so I could trade for the thing. I bloody hope it's worth it.

I wonder if Sidney would like the Deep City. She wasn't there with us today.

* * *

**Clay**

God _damn_ the Deep City's boring. It's all a bunch of people just milling around doing mundane stuff. I dunno what I expected from a city under the water, but I know I expected more. Maybe some magic powered battle chariots or something.

Whatever. Aside from that, I hear we're supposed to be taking a break from Labyrinth diving. Gotta wonder why we're pulling back on the reins so suddenly when we were screaming along full tilt earlier. Certainly not because they want to take a holiday in the Deep City or anything.

There was really nothing for me, so I didn't spend too long in that place. Headed back to Armoroad, wandered around, basically moped. Hell, if it goes like this for much longer I'll just head down into the Labyrinth myself to blow off some steam.

Still, we're supposed to trust that robot girl who tried to get us all killed. I've got a scar down my stomach 'cause of her. Doesn't matter how much they try to play friends, I've got my eye on them.

* * *

**Sidney**

The Deep City's accepted our diplomatic envoys, and that we're now entering tentative discussions on setting up trade between the two cities. This is… This is what I've always dreamed about doing ever since I was old enough to understand the history of Armoroad and the Calamity.

And… I helped it happen. I, Alice Marguerite, helped to improve the trade and economy of Armoroad. This feeling in my chest whenever I think about is… well, it's kinda difficult to describe.

God, it's stupid for me to take pride in something like this, isn't it? But I do, anyway. Something I can say I did for my family and my city. How often does that come around?

I didn't get to go to the Deep City today – mom and dad asked me to be present at the ceremony for the more prominent noble houses where the announcement about establishing contact with the Deep City was made. Honestly, I don't see the point. Everyone already knows that we've already found the Deep City; the ceremony is just a formality. And even though they won't mention me or the Paragon Guild by name, everyone there will know that I was part of the team that discovered the place. Kinda embarrassing, that.

Also they just had to stuff me into one of those frilly dresses again. Uggggggggggggghhh.

I wonder if Adrian enjoyed her day in the Deep City. I should go ask her about it.

* * *

**Melina**

I ran into Ms. Edie's sister today in the Deep City. Apparently she's rented out an storehouse to set up shop in so that Napier's Firm can get a branch in the Deep City. According to her, Ms. Edie thinks that with more explorers trying to make their way deeper into the 3rd Stratum this will be the perfect place to sell them goods.

I decided to help her out a bit, mostly with moving some crates of goods that her sister had sent down. It took a while, but I think we managed to get a fair bit done, and she even compensated me for my work. She told me to drop by once she finishes setting up the store, guaranteeing that 'Napier quality'.

Come to think of it, I still don't know anything about her beyond being 'Ms. Edie's sister.' I should ask her name the next time we meet.

* * *

**Atahualpa**

It is cold in the depths, and not at all pleasant.

If anything there intrigued me, it was the great tree in the centre of their city, Yggdrasil. It pulses with life and power, so palpable that one can almost taste it if they were to merely extend their tongue.

The technology of the depths is… different. Down here, nature is not their ally, aside from vast Yggdrasil. Everything they do is to stave off the harshness of the ocean depths. Artificial, created lights, heat sources, and homes. It truly is a different way of life from the one I know.

The leaders of the Guild have called for a halt on Labyrinth exploration for the time being. This is troublesome. I came to test my strength against the mightiest beasts of nature, not to lie away wasting my time and my strength.

Perhaps in lieu of moving ever deeper, it would be of use to explore the floors we've already progressed through. All our maps have blank spots on them, and to fill those in would take time and effort.

Ahul, I have received your letter detailing the problems you have in diplomacy with the other tribes. Remember that as Tun'Ga, you must place the wellbeing of the people who follow your command first.

* * *

**Asmodeus**

Fascinating.

Olympia is not human. She's an artificial construct, referred to as an 'Yggdroid' and 'robot' in equal measure, able to move and behave of her own free will. None of our great thinkers in the Library of Sovelude had theorized this possible for decades.

The locals attribute it all to the power of Yggdrasil. Is that really the case? Even if the tree itself held a power of some kind, how could the denizens of the Deep City have have the knowledge to create such beings?

And the buildings of the Deep City – in design they are remarkably similar to the types of buildings used primarily a hundred years ago, showcasing a difference in the progress of culture from Armoroad. At the same time, the materials used in the construction of the buildings are not familiar to me. I wonder what kind of stone they can mine from deep underwater.

There are so many mysteries and questions about the Deep City that I wish to delve into. It'll be a while until Master Hale's reply (along with the materials I asked him to send) arrive, but there's no reason I can't start on my preliminary investigations right now.

Rossa's run off somewhere, as far as I know she's still in the Deep City. I hope she doesn't make a nuisance of herself for those in the Deep City with her incessant questions. My sister really can be more trouble than she is worth.

Horoscope: Information is not the same as wisdom.

* * *

**Jared**

I spent most of today wandering around the Deep City, mostly checking out if they had any good bars. Kept getting strange looks from most of the locals. They didn't appear suspicious or frightened. More of being curious, given the stares. I guess they weren't used to outsiders encroaching on their turf.

I settled down with Relena at a kind of outdoor café. I think she felt a little cold so deep underwater so I ordered her a hot drink, and when the waiter came over I asked him about the place.

Turned out I got a talker, and he spent the next few minutes talking about what it was like living underwater. According to him, he was still around when they first sank the part of Armoroad that would later become the Deep City, and he can barely remember what it was like living on the surface anymore. When I pointed out that he didn't look a day over twenty, he just chuckled and pointed to Yggdrasil in the distance. No surprise you can see that tree from every point in the city, if it gives these guys immortality.

A bit of chitchat later, I asked him about why they had to keep the Deep City such a big secret that people like Olympia were willing to kill in order to prevent the secret from leaking out. I caught a glance from Relena while I was saying this – She never brings it up but I know she still remembers getting ambushed in the sixth floor. The guy shrugged and told me that he never really knew about what Olympia or any of the other guardians were up to in preventing people from reaching the Deep City. But as to why it had to be a secret at all, he just leaned in an mumbled a couple of words.

'The Deep Ones'. Well, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that whatever that is, it's even deeper down in the Labyrinth than we are right now. Wonder if we'll run into them sooner or later.

* * *

**Rossa**

Spent most of today exploring the Deep City. I dunno how to describe the feeling… it was like it was both really quiet and vibrant at the same time. People don't rush about to do things, but there's always this feeling of _energy_ in the air.

I went to the inn that they'd reserved for people from Armoroad who want to stay in the Deep City. The innkeeper there seems nice enough – her name is Angie, and it was a slow enough day that she was able to show me around. They have a lot of gizmos in the Deep City that you won't find back on the surface world – like this short rod she gave me that can light up whenever I flick a switch. She called it a 'flashlight'. It's more convenient than a candle, that's for sure. And there are all sorts of other items like that. Angie says that it's all due to the power of Yggdrasil

Yggdrasil… I really want to study it more. I want to see what kind of power it really holds.

There're so many wonderful things about the Deep City. And now there'll be plenty of time to explore more of it, especially since I got a letter from Master Gauss approving my leave of absence. The next time big brother tries to get me to go home, I want to see how he reacts when I wave the letter in his face.

Until then, I wouldn't mind spending more time in the Deep City, this rather stylish inn, and this _very_ comfortable bed.

* * *

**Juliana**

Well, what with the discovering the Deep City and our Guild going on a hiatus and all, it seems like now would be a good time to review what I've accomplished so far.

Well, there was the slaying of the Hammerhead Shark, which was indeed a wonderful triumph. But the discovery of the Deep City was almost entirely out of my hands. That won't do at all. I'll need to have a talk with Alexis about placing in more of the exploration duties. I need to be at the forefront or my involvement with the Yggdrasil Labyrinth will merely be a footnote in history!

As for the Deep City, it's all really rather quaint. I can appreciate how they have technology that we don't have access to, but really, their lives down there seem so… dull. I couldn't find very many avenues of entertainment at all, and restaurants were few and far in between. What do people _do_ there? They can't even say they work like the serfs or peasants in our own land – food, clothing, and almost any basic necessity is in complete abundance down there!

Both Zack and Wooster don't seem to happy about taking breaks from Labyrnth explorations, especially since they haven't had much to do recently. I wonder if organizing a monster hunt of sorts for the stronger monsters in the first two stratums would be a fun diversion. I'll discuss this with the female knight.

* * *

**Wooster**

The Deep City's steamed buns are absolutely _heavenly_! I must know how to get the recipe for making more of these!

**

* * *

**

**Zack**

Maaaaan, apparently we're supposed to be taking a break now? I've barely had any action since killing the Hammerhead shark and now we're just supposed to be sitting around doing nothing.

Maybe I should try duelling some of the others in the Guild. It'd be a way to keep my reflexes sharp, at least.

A heard a lot of the others took a trip to the Deep City, including Lady Juliana. Meh. Not really my thing. Spent most of today napping and training. Seriously, I gotta find more things to do before I get too bored and go stark raving bonkers.

I almost wish another sea monster would pop out of nowhere and start terrorizing people. It'd give me an excuse for a sea voyage _and_ get me some action at the same time.

* * *

**Tinker**

Holy wow. I've seen the Deep City for myself! With my own eyes! Everyone who's grown up in Armoroad has heard countless stories about our lost legacy, and I was there to see it today! Talk about a once in a lifetime chance. You sure made the right choice in Guild applications, Dwayne!

Anyway, I spotted a weapons shop near the heart of the town, and I made sure to ask him about any explosives they had in stock. Disappointingly enough, he shook his head and told me that they mostly use enchanted weapons down here. I guess I could enchant my grenades with fire for that extra kick, but it's just not the same, is it?

On a slightly different note, I heard that even though they'll start trading and diplomacy with Armoroad, the Deep City is only going to allow selected groups to enter their city and the third stratum beneath it. It's not an issue for me or anyone else in Paragon – we've got the privilege by dint of being the first to successfully reach it, but I gotta wonder why they're still being tightwads about all this. And that Olympia… I hear she's bad news and got some of our members roughed up before I joined. Hope things don't turn ugly with her.

* * *

**Zeetha**

Oh, this is _infuriating_! The entrance to the 3rd Stratum is right there! Dozens of beasts that have never been catalogued or observed before just waiting for me, and I can't go any further! Alexis has called a halt on official Guild ventures, and I'm not foolish enough to venture into an entirely new stratum without backup.

Well, so far my time in this Guild has been a rather disappointing one. Yes, I know I only joined them rather late, so there hasn't been time for me to do much, but I've barely made any progress in discovering new monsters for the codex. I can only hope that things will be more fruitful as we progress further.

I heard some other members of the Guild were really impressed with the Deep City. Meh, I say. Give me dark caverns and deep jungles any day.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 31st of the Month of the Golden Eagle, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire

His Majesty has expressed interest in exploring the Deep City over the course of the next few days. Naturally his interest appears to be centred around the various restaurants and the kind of seafood you can get from the deep ocean.

That said, I accompanied him for his audience with the Abyssal King, and it didn't take a genius to realize that the King has something he's not telling us. I'm certain it has something to do with the Labyrinth as well.

I was also able to see what they meant when they said that Olympia was 'not human'. The Abyssal King referred to her as an 'Yggdroid', an artificial being given life by the power of Yggdrasil. Certainly an intriguing concept. I wonder if there are others like her in the Deep City. I also can't help but wonder if the fact that she isn't human is what allowed her to attempt to murder us with such a detached air. Not that there haven't been equally monstrous humans, of course, but Olympia continues to unnerve me.

As for the Deep City itself, it's pleasant enough on the surface, but there's something odd about the way the town is structured. The more heavily fortified buildings appear to be located near the Submagnetic Pole where we first entered. Sensible precautions for someone wishing to prevent an invasion via teleportation, except that one can only activate the Pole by first trekking down through the Labyrinth itself. Unless someone from deeper down is using the Submagnetic Pole to come _up_, this appears to be a rather odd design.

We've also scheduled a break on any official Labyrinth exploring duties for a while. I'm not sure exactly how long it will last, but I suppose a reprieve is always welcome. Not that I wish to spend too long away from Holy Renais either. The weather should be starting to turn chilly back in the capital, whereas here it's still the heat of the tropics. Of course, in the end this can barely be counted as a hardship, so I've no right to complain.

I suppose I'll leave off writing for now. Jules wishes to visit a restaurant and he should be around the pick me up any moment. I should be ready when he arrives.

* * *

A soft knock sounded on the door just as Alexis was laying her pen down on her desk. "Alexis?" came Jules' voice, muffled by the sound of the door. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, I am," she called back as she stood, smoothing the hem of her skirt in the process. There was a soft creaking sound as Jules pushed the door open slowly, enough so that he could look in. There was a moment of silence.

"What?" Alexis asked, glancing down at the dress she was wearing.

"Nothing, nothing. It's just… it's been a while since I've seen you wear something like that."

"You told me this restaurant was frequented by the Abyssal King. I thought this would be appropriate."

"It is – I mean, you look great. It really brings out your, uh, your feminine side."

Alexis raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to take that as a compliment, _your Majesty_," a smile quirked at the corner of her lips.

"Yes, well," he smiled in return and offered her his hand. "Shall we be off?"

With a nod, she reached out and grasped his hand. "Yes, let's."


	51. The 3rd Stratum

Entry Fifty One

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 15th of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

I suppose it should go without saying that the Molten Caves is an immensely uncomfortable place to be, moreso when you're carrying several hundred pounds of armour on your person at all times. However I've been able to make a tolerable amount of progress, at the very least we've discovered several shortcuts through the area that will allow us to avoid the more troublesome spots later on.

I can't say I approve of entering the 3rd Stratum purely on the Abyssal King's behest, though. If I recall correctly, during an audience with the king the matter of why travel through the Deep City and the Labyrinth beyond was so heavily restricted, and apparently we've been sent to the 10th floor of the Labyrinth to see the reason for ourselves in a chamber known as the 'Hall of Conviction'.

Well, we've had two weeks of resting, which should be more than enough time for everyone to have recuperated fully. Given how tenacious the beasts of the 3rd Stratum have thus far proved themselves, especially those giant saurian creatures with spiked tails, I suspect we'll need all our strength going forward. Adrian, in particular, was barely reining in her obvious excitement at having a chance to trade blows with tougher creatures than the ones in the 2nd Stratum.

All in all, our first venture into the 3rd Stratum went along tolerably well. The locals have warned us about giant sandworms lurking in the area, but I've yet to meet any. I suppose I should pass along the notice to the others in the Guild.

* * *

**Sidney**

Monsters Defeated: Stegosaurus x 3, Flame Lynx x 2, Rattle Nozuchi x 4

Items Collected: Stegosaur Fin x 2, Predatory Fang x 1, Burning Fur x 1, Red Iron Chip x 2, Red Iron Scale x 3

Got a chance to try out by new voltage rounds today! I gotta say, it worked pretty well, especially on those weird bug things with the rattling tails.

But man, is the 3rd Stratum hot! My usual gear leaves my shoulder and midriff bare, and I'm pretty glad for them, but Adrian was wearing that green robe of hers in addition to her shirt, to say nothing of Alexis who spent her entire time walking around in heavy armour. Eesh, if I tried the same sort of thing she did I'd go crazy, that's certain.

From what I heard we were allowed into the 3rd Stratum for the sake of finding some sort of 'terror' from the deeps, but we were able to handle ourselves well enough, so I gotta admit that I'm still puzzled about why all the hush-hush surrounding the Deep City.

In other news not directly related to Labyrinth explorations, it looks like several of Armoroad's merchants have been able to secure footholds for trading with the Deep City, including dad, of course. 'Course, there's still a bit of a problem of finding stuff that the Deep City people are willing to trade for, but with the word out that Armoroad's the middleman between the rest of the world and the elusive Deep City, more people are flocking to Armoroad than ever before. Of course, the seas around Armoroad are as treacherous as ever, but now more people think navigating through it is a worthwhile investment, so Armoroad's well on its way to pulling itself up by its own bootstraps!

During a break session in the middle of today's expedition I had a chance to talk with Adrian and ask about how she was doing. Her training with Pure's going steady, and apparently she's starting to think of sending him into do some actual fighting with her backing him up. Gotta say I'm pretty interested in how that would work.

I stopped by Napier's to turn over the monster bits I'd picked up through today's jaunt. I wonder what Edie's artisans will come up with. They've never had materials like this to work with before, so I can only hope they come out good.

* * *

**Juliana**

At last! We're to begin travel through the Labyrinth again! I was beginning to wonder if such an extended rest would not in fact dull my blade. Zack went down with the female knight today, and I understand that I'll be part of the expedition party tomorrow. Simply splendid!

Although, when Zack came back from his trip today, his complaints about the intense heat of the caverns were long and loud. That could indeed prove problematic – I was never very good at dealing with the heat. Perhaps my ability to master the Ice enchantments might prove useful in there. I'll have to play it as it comes, I suppose.

Also, the HMS Tranquility has been properly repaired at long last! It would have been ideal if it had been repaired _before_ we restarted journeys into the Labyrinth, of course, so I'd have the opportunity to go for a bit of a sightseeing trip before the call of duty overtook me once again. Oh well, one must play the hands one has been dealt.

I recently had an audience with that Seyfried fellow and I must say I found him a perfect gentleman, and the cuisine of his chefs are world-class. It's almost enough to forget that he'd authorized an ambush that almost left me dead. I honestly don't know where I stand in his eyes, but in this particular case I'm inclined to side with Wooster – we can treat with him with all the niceties our respective positions demand, but he's still not to be trusted.

* * *

**Melina**

Napier's Branch in the Deep City managed to finish setting up shop today! I visited it, and they've managed to bring down enough of the stock from the main branch that there's plenty of stuff lining the shelves. I wonder if the denizens of the Deep City will be interested in what she has to offer? Especially when a lot of this is specifically geared for adventurers too.

I've also received some basic training with a shield and spear from Alexis over the past two weeks. Not much, but I should be able to defend myself better when we go foraging for materials now. And not a moment too soon, since the 3rd Stratum's opened up to us and I hear the monsters are a lot tougher than anything we've faced so far.

We'll conquer this Labyrinth yet!


	52. This and That VIII

Entry Fifty Two

* * *

**Asmodeus**

Research on the Deep City is proceeding at an acceptable pace. Of course, the fact that the Deep City is still populated and thriving means that I'm not as qualified for this task as I'd assumed I would be. Trying to find out about a civilization by digging up relics is rather different from being able to simply ask the people there about it.

In the meanwhile, we've also started exploring deeper into the 3rd Stratum. To be honest, I've little interest in what lies further in – my primary goal is the Deep City, and I've already reached that. However, I'm given to understanding that the denizens of the Deep City rely on raw materials from the molten caves to help sustain themselves, so I suppose it would be worth my while to investigate along with the rest of the Guild.

I must say that my Ice based offensives have proven themselves rather useful, or at least that was my observation from today's venture. Many of the creatures living in there are rather adverse to the cold. Well, that's only to be expected when you make a volcanic cavern your primary dwelling.

Rossa's spent a large portion of the past two weeks in the Deep City, mostly running around and visiting various restauarants. So much for doing actual research. I still have no idea why Master Hale approved her stay here in any official capacity. At least the latest series of incidents in the 2nd Stratum appear to have sobered her up some.

Horoscope: Beware the Eldest.

* * *

**Pure**

Today's Profit: 231 en

Adrian dragged me into the bottom of the 1st Stratum and asked me to face off against one of those crazy deer things that roam around that. I mean, I managed to figure out how to use a couple of her fist techniques from her, but taking on one of those murderbeasts isn't a proposition I was exactly comfortable with.

Nor was I exactly comforted by her story of her master throwing her off the edge of a waterfall against her will in order to toughen her up. According her this is supposed to be somewhat analogous. So apparently she thinks fighting a Furyhorn is an experience equivalent to getting thrown off the edge of a waterfall.

Somewhat more reassuring was Sidney and Adrian coming along to offer backup, although Adrian insisted that I would have to at least deliver the final blow with my fists. Given the quality of my dagger and pitchfork at this point, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be able to tell the difference, regardless.

Well, long story short, we found one and managed to beat it down. And I only got knocked unconscious twice. However, I _did_ manage to hurt it when I hit, and I guess I kinda surprised myself that way.

Later we took a breather in one of the safe chambers we'd found around the 4th level. I handed out some of the drinks I'd made before setting out on the mission, Sidney talked about how there've been enough monster clearing in the 1st Stratum for more people to visit it for excursions, and Adrian patted me on the shoulder and told me I did well.

Oh, and we were able to sell the deer hides too.

All in all, not a bad day.

* * *

**Juliana**

I spotted some sort of dreadful beast in the 3rd Stratum today! A humongous worm with far too many teeth, lurking in a crevice down one side of the area. Fortunately, it was past sundown at the point and the worm was obviously in a deep sleep, so we were able to avoid confrontation with it.

Also, the others were serious about the intense heat. It appears my strategy of only attempting to enter at nightfall was of little effect. Wooster was obviously suffering heavily, but firmly resisted any attempts for me to comfort him. I really need to have a talk with him one of these days.

I ended our expedition when we stumbled upon yet another of those Submagnetic poles. This allowed us to go straight back to Armoroad proper. Of course using the pole to enter the Deep City before the 3rd Stratum was convenient enough, but every little bit helps. Alexis seemed sufficiently cheered by this news.

* * *

**Zeetha**

Gosric wasn't too happy with our trip into the caverns. Of course he wouldn't be happy anywhere that had a roof over our heads, but the added heat probably didn't do him any favours.

But that aside, the sheer amount of wildlife in the 3rd Stratum is astounding. Well, diversity's a bit problematic given that they're all in a volcanic area, but that so [i]many[/i] animals could thrive in a location like this! There're barely any plants, too. I'll need to spend longer and observe these animals so as to determine the food chain of the region! Unfortunately, we had to leave quickly today,but perhaps I'll have more time for my own studies in the near future.


	53. Darkness and Doubt

Entry Fifty Three

* * *

**Jules**

Got summoned for another audience with the Abyssal King. In between Armoroad's requests on updates on the Deep City, and the Abyssal King's constant talk about the great dangers in the 3rd Stratum (whatever that is), I haven't actually been down there myself since we restarted our exploration business.

Seyfried's also being as unhelpful as possible about whatever it is that I'm supposed to be looking for. There's apparently some kind of taboo about speaking of whatever this menace is, although for the life of me I can't figure out why. I'm almost tempted to simply tell him that I'm no longer interested in finding out whatever it is he's got tucked away in the 10th floor, but then I'd never hear the end of it from Alexis about what a massive breach of protocol it is to turn down a request from a fellow monarch after already agreeing.

That and it's supposed to be on our way, so I suppose we can entertain the king for a while longer.

(X)

Alexis just returned from another journey. Normally that would be a rather ordinary affair, but then again most of the time she doesn't have a pair of gaping holes rent in her armour. After making sure that that particular wound had been properly healed (and try as she might, Alexis couldn't hide the flash of pain on her face whenever she moved her left shoulder) I had to ask her about how she'd gotten the wound. Apparently one of the monsters with the spiked tails had caught them unawares in the caverns and they had to fight it off.

Of course she also mentioned about her having to do more. That she's most often the one responsible for keeping us alive down there apparently slipped her notice for now. In any case, she mentioned wishing to study how to improve her abilities. I can't say I'm sure what she has in mind.

In any case, I forced Alexis into an early night, and I've taken over responsibility for handling today's administrative trivia. And I can't forget to tally Guild finances as well.

Expenditure, Supplies: 349 en

Expenditure, Equipment: 1257 en

Expenditure, Misc: 1074 en (Man, our Guild has been buying a lot of clothes lately)

Income, Labyrinth Goods: 743 en (Melina reported a good haul in the 3rd Stratum today)

Income, Sea Goods: 2133 en (Rook just brought the ship back into port today)

Income, Misc: 60 en

Total Income: 256 en

Total Current Funds: 17, 423 en

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 17th of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

My wound in my side still burns. I suppose it cannot be helped. The treatment was a hasty one, meant to get me back on my feet until we could leave the caverns. It's a good thing I asked Master Geoffrey to travel with me today.

That said, the beasts I've faced today were as tough as ever, and much as I do not wish to admit it, I was struggling against a fair number of the monster's attacks. I need to grow stronger, although I admit that I am currently at a loss as to how I'm supposed to make a rapid improvement in so short a time.

Meanwhile, his Majesty is constantly being summoned by either the Senatus or the Abyssal King in order to serve as a middle man for negotiations between the Armoroad and the Deep City. I've already told him that it's not his business as royalty of an entirely separate city-state, but apparently neither Senator Flowdia nor the Abyssal king see a problem with ordering a Prince of the Holy Empire around. At least the flow of requests appear to be drying up somewhat – he should be able to make a journey into the Labyrinth tomorrow without having to worry about interruptions.

In more disquieting news, I've received word that the Empire is mobilizing against the Western Shelf, and that open conflict is expected by the outset of next spring. I don't mind admitting that this worrisome state of affairs has been plaguing my thoughts for the majority of the day, and that this distraction was what allowed a lumbering fifteen-foot beast to sneak up on me in the first place. I'm not sure if Princess Juliana is aware of this development; at the least I could not detect any change in her behaviour.

I've been ordered not to inform his Majesty Jules for the time being, nor am I to return to the Empire despite the mobilization call. This entire state of affairs is a headache I honestly don't need right now.

* * *

**Rook**

Well, back on dry land after a week out at sea. I think it did me and Midori some good, at the very least, we had plenty of work to do. I can't wait to tell the others about the foothold we established to the north. A Geomagnetic pole out on the sea! There're supposed to be more of those things scattered across the Four Blues, but no one I've talked to could ever give me a precise location. Maybe they shift around once in a while?

In any case, Midori started smiling a bit again a couple days back. I guess I was right that taking her mind off the Deep City and Olympia for a while was a good idea. Of course now we're back in Armoroad and less than five minutes from the both of them so I hope she doesn't regress too much. I left old man Mueller with the fishes I'd hauled in since last night and asked Midori to join me for an early dinner at the Butterfly Bistro.

Ran into Adrian, Sidney and Pure while we were there. The three of them have really started hanging out together more often over the past couple of weeks. We got to talking about how they've restarted heading down into the Labyrinth (I should probably go take a look and see if Alexis's got me pegged for any other dives soon) and how the going's a lot harder than they expected. I shared about how I caught sight of some of those oceanic lights that every sailor's supposed to see at least once before they die.

Man, I'd almost forgotten how good Missy's Meat Lover's Supreme tastes.

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: _Delighted_

Oh my goodness.

The Moss Strawberries from the 3rd Stratum.

They. Are. _Delicious_.

Especially when blended in juice, and especially when _Pure_ blends it. That's just this thick… _richness_ that I can't replicate whenever I try it on my own. When I asked him how he did it her just got a puzzled look on his face and said that's just how he always makes all those juices.

Maaaan, as long as Pure can do it and I can't, I'm going to be in his debt whenever I want more of those drinks! This sucks.

Melina also threw a fit over us eating (and drinking) so many of the Strawberries she'd picked, yelling that they were meant to be sold to Napier's to help develop medicine. Sheesh, if it's that much trouble, Pure and I can just join her next time to go forage in the 3rd Stratum for more of these things.

* * *

**Midori**

It's been a while since I've smiled like I did out on the boat ride. I guess Rook was right, I really could use some time out there.

Still, I can't help but feel confused. I was angry before, sure. But… I needed that anger to drive me. I needed to focus on taking down Olympia. Without that anger, that drive, I'm not sure about how to proceed.

I wish there was someone I could talk to about this sort of thing. Rook tries, but he just doesn't understand what it's like to realize you've lost everyone and everything from your old life. Sometimes I wonder if it would have been better if everything had remained forgotten, if I could leave my old life behind. But whenever I think about it my chest just starts to tighten.

These are my memories. They define me as a person. I can't give them up.

But I still don't know what to do.


	54. Training Session V

Entry Fifty Four

* * *

**Geoffrey**

Thought for the Day: One of the true joys of life is to pass on what you know to a new generation.

Woke up earlier than usual this morning.

Approximately two hours spent on meditating and training.

Was later joined by Adrian and Pure by the sea side. The boy was complaining as usual, but it appeared to be mostly in jest.

Adrian appears to have settled nicely into the role of a teacher. She cannot cover much more than the basics, of course, but otherwise she is progressing fine.

It is not often that I reminisce on when I first found her and took her in, but I cannot help but do so today.

She has indeed been a worthy student. Perhaps it is time I initiated her into the ninth level of the Yuan Yang technique. I shall need to observe her closely the next few days.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 18th of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

Geoffrey came to me in the afternoon with something about letting him an Adrian go down together for our next journey into the Labyrinth. I suppose I could work something out, although from my understanding we won't be heading down for a couple of days. I suppose it's not anything urgent, or at least he didn't seem to think so.

I got Rook and Rossa to engage me in a short training session today as I tried to figure out how to improve my abilities in combat. If I can get better and deflecting and parrying strikes aimed at me, then I won't have to worry about suffering wounds on the battlefield. Of course, dealing with attacks that are arcane in nature would also be helpful – the primary reason I asked for Rossa's help with this task.

I have to acknowledge that any attacks that fellow humans use against me won't prepare me fully for dealing with the beasts of the Labyrinth, but it's a worthwhile start. Naturally there's nothing stopping me from training against the monsters as well, but for now I'll limit myself to human opponents.

Melina also requested more lessons on how to better use a shield. I went through some of the basic stances with her today, but unfortunately I didn't have the time to properly oversee her. I wonder if Wooster would be willing to take over teaching her if I made a polite request of him.

* * *

**Zeetha**

I spotted an owl in the woods outside town today. The colouration of the wings was unusual – almost like they were eyes. Plenty of animals use markings in order to ward off prey, but seeing as I have a record of _most_ of them, I have to say that these were different. It's possible that this was a monster whose home was in the Labyrinth, but I don't believe it was ever found in the higher floors before.

Well, I attempted to follow it in order to record its behaviour, but it managed to evade me. I wonder if it'll remain in the area – if it does, I'll have another chance at finding it again.

I have to say that Gosric didn't appear very impressed with the owl. Then again, I first saved Gosric from an attack from a Spotted Snow Owl, so I suppose he would be wary of those types.

* * *

**Jared**

After Rook came back with his tale of finding one of those Geomagnetic poles on the seas, I decided I had to go take a gander for myself.

Sure enough, a bit of fancy manoeuvring and I'd got to the beginnings of the Northern Sea. Of course, when I showed up there, there was a moment if I wondered if I'd done the right thing bringing Relena along.

Sheba was right there, after all. She didn't show anything on her face, of course, but after a couple moments staring at the city she turned and went below the decks. Shouldn't have been surprised that she was still raw about the whole thing.

On the trip back though, she mentioned that it the currents around the city looked a lot more violent than normal. I haven't been to Sheba often, so I really couldn't tell myself. I wonder what that's all about.

* * *

**Rossa**

Ms. Alexis asked me to help her with some of her training today! I was more than happy to help, of course, especially since it gave me a chance to practice some of my own magic.

Trying to generate enough power to send my spell out over a large area is more draining and difficult than I'd anticipated. I guess I have to accept that no matter how I handle it, I'm going to end up with a weaker strike than if I focus on a single target. Of course the big thing is to try and decrease the gap as much as possible.

I wonder if Big Brother knows about how to make spells target an area. Maybe I could ask him for some advice. Of course he's still devoted to studying more about the Deep City, so he might not have the time. Still, it couldn't hurt to try, I guess?

Also, Master Hale sent me a second letter saying that he expects a full and detailed writeup on the journey when I've returned to Sovelude. Pft. We both know he won't read anything I give him anyway. I'm only thirteen! What sort of insight could I possibly offer over Big Brother or… well, any of the older people studying the place? Whatever, I guess I'll just scribble something out.

Note: Gotta remember to pay a visit to Angie. I promised I'd bring her some of Armroad's fruits!

* * *

**Midori**

Man the Innkeeper's boy has been looking really worried. I wonder what's the problem? Maybe I should ask him about it.


	55. Menaces Abound

Entry Fifty Five

* * *

**Jules**

No official Labyrinth trip today, so Alexis and I entered the 3rd Stratum ourselves to get some training done. The large lizards (I've managed to glean the term 'stegosaurus' from the locals) apparently don't like hanging out in the entrance chamber from the Deep City very much, so we were able to get a fair amount of fighting done.

I've also noticed several eggs scattered about the area. Most of them appear dormant, but occasionally one of them begins to move on its own, almost as if it is preparing to hatch. The never actually happens, though. I wonder what sort of creature those eggs hold, and whether or not it would be a good idea to try to destroy them. Alexis appeared against the idea, but then she's always cautious about most things.

While we were cooling down later, we ran into Zack and Clay, both of whom looked rather worse for the wear. It turns out they had the same idea as us but ran afoul of one of those giant sandworms. Turns out it spews some sort of sticky mud that entraps its opponents, and that made getting away from it a massive chore. They also stunk, apparently a side effect of getting covered in the worm's saliva, but I chose not to mention it.

So far we've marked down three separate spots where the mud worms have been seen making their nests. At least we know they rarely leave it except to hunt prey, so that's something. Either that we'll have to organize more night trips.

In other news, we've spotted the first of the other Guilds that have been allowed access to the Deep City and the 3rd Stratum beyond. Apparently the primary criteria is the strength of the guilds in question. I really have to wonder what the Abyssal King is thinking, and what he wants out of this whole business.

* * *

**Midori**

Apparently that pen pal that the boy's been talking with is in trouble. Her village has come down with some strange malady and apparently they can't find a cure. Apparently it's called the Green Death and some kind of spore-thing that causes plants to sprout from within the victim. The poor kid was fretting so much about it he could barely focus on any of the people in the inn. I guess I can't blame him, but I'm also not sure if there's anything any of us could do to help.

None of us are really doctors – I mean, the closest we've got is Master Geoffrey, but he's not really focused on healing diseases, is he? I talked with him about it for a while, and apparently even his sister's stumped by the symptoms of the disease, so I don't think asking any of the locals would be a help.

The poor kid's all but tearing his hair out in frustration that he can't help his friend. I guess I'll ask around, see if anyone in the Guild knows anything that might be helpful. I want to help him if I can.

(X)

Well, Asmodeus just offered me a suggestion. He told me that the technology of the Deep City is far superior to that of Armoroad's. So, if I were to ask the people there for help, maybe they would know what to do.

I

I don't want to associate with the Deep City any more than I have to. But people have been dying of this disease, whatever it is, and if there's a chance for me to be able to help stop it, what choice do I have?

* * *

**Pure**

Today's Profit: 453 en

Went on a gathering run today in the 3rd Stratum with Melina. The conditions there are awful – although not quite as bad as I expected, but I gotta say, the price for the stuff we can harvest there is just fine with me. Got more of those strawberries too, and I made sure to pocket a few when Melina wasn't looking.

Atahualpa was one of our guards today, and he didn't seem to like the look of the eggs scattered around the place. I wonder why – it's so small that anything that could come out of it can't be _that_ big a threat, right?

Not that I stuck around for one of those things to hatch and make sure for myself, mind you. But on our way out I noticed a hatched egg and what looked like scrabbling claw marks in the area around it.

I don't want to think about _that_ too hard.

* * *

**Rook**

The rumour mills are turning yet again. Well, the seas carry all sorts of info on their waves, it's up to us to see if there's any truth to them. Turns out there's supposed to be some sort of giant monster that's trapped the city of Sheba to the North of here.

Well I was there myself just about a week back and honestly I don't remember any sort of giant monster in the area. Of course I didn't sail into Sheba myself but I'm pretty sure I'd have noticed something that even the city guards couldn't fight off.

Then again, Jared headed there himself just yesterday and apparently the currents there were a lot more violent than what's normal – even by this area's post-Calamity standards. Maybe _that's_ what that thing is using to keep the city trapped.

Well, we'll know soon enough – if there's really a monster there that needs to be put down, they'll be putting out a bounty on it before very long. Given the enthusiasm of some of our Guild, I wouldn't be surprised if we ended up being the ones to take it out again.

Midori's been running around a fair bit today. I wonder what that's all about?

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 19th of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

After training with his Majesty in the 3rd Stratum this morning, I decided to gather more information about the nature of the denizens in the Molten Caves, if only to prepare myself psychologically.

As it turns out, many creatures are drawn there due to their natural comfort in being in an area of intense heat. Including dragons. It turns out that the lava seething through the area makes a perfect heat source for incubating their eggs, which we saw liberally scattered about the area.

I suppose I'll need to extend warnings to the rest of the Guild. Apparently the mother dragons don't come to the highest floors of the Stratum except to collect their young, but still, best to be on the safe side.

And while we're at it, I'd best get started on the roster for our Labyrinth journeys for the rest of the week.


	56. A Friend in Need

Entry Fifty Six

* * *

**Rossa**

Ms. Midori came up to me this morning looking kinda flustered. As far as I could tell, there was a situation about someone falling sick and her wanting to ask the denizens of the Deep City if they had anything that they could do to help.

I guess I was a little confused because I asked her why she needed to ask me about it when she could go looking around herself. So when I asked her she kinda ducked her head and scratched her hair a little and mumbled that she wasn't comfortable with talking to people from the Deep City, and that since I'd been spending more time with them. So we settled on a compromise where I'd follow her around, help her get a bit more used to the whole thing.

Honestly I don't know why it took so long for me to think of talking to Angie. I mean, she's a doctor, but her main job is running the inn, so I guess I didn't think of her as a _doctor_-doctor. Anyway, when we talked to her she acted really surprised because the disease Ms. Midori was talking about was supposed to have been eradicated a long time ago.

But she said that she could brew a cure if she had some Scarlet Sage from the 3rd Stratum. Ms. Midori rushed off to go get some of that, but not before pausing and saying thank you to her. In retrospect, maybe I should have gone with her, but Angie asked me for help in setting up the equipment she'd need to make the medicine.

I hope Midori finds it quickly.

(X)

We did it! Angie was able to whip up several packets of medicine in a couple of hours. Of course it won't be enough to save the whole village that's sick, but it'll do for a first batch, and as we find more of the Scarlet Sage we can make more and send more there too.

I gotta say most of the team that went in looked pretty beat up. But then they also looked happy, so I guess it was a good thing.

* * *

**Midori**

It's not every day you fight an enraged dragon. Also not every day you get out of that fight alive.

But that's not important right now. I got the medicine that can cure the Green Death (apparently it involved some kind of plant reagent from the 3rd Stratum) and I was able to help the boy at the inn. The look of relief on his face was indescribable.

I'm glad I was able to help him, and to help his pen pal, but… I had to rely on people from the Deep City to do it.

Well, person. The female innkeeper appears pleasant enough, and she was willing to help us with our problems, but she's still part of the Deep City. Part of _them_. Ugh. This is why I kept away from the Deep City in the first place.

Rossa appeared friendly enough with that innkeeper. I don't know how the others can be so carefree about this thing. Maybe I should go find Rook and talk to him and ask him for advice. Or something. I don't know.

Lately I just seem to keep feeling more confused.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 20th of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

We were preparing to depart on today's journey when Midori burst in, panting and asking us to change our priority from discovering the entrance deeper into the Labyrinth to hunting down a plant of some kind. I believe she referred to it as a Scarlet Sage.

After asking a few quick questions, I was able to determine that the innkeeper's son had a friend from overseas that had fallen ill, and that this herb from the Labyrinth's 3rd Stratum could cure this disease. A rather convoluted chain of events, but I suppose that it's always a good idea to help others where possible.

A quick discussion about who should stay and who should go quickly ensued, and ten minutes later I, along with Adrian, Master Geoffrey, Midori and Pure prepared to venture into the 3rd Stratum. Luckily the farmer had been there on harvesting runs before and pointed out the spots where plants grew in the area.

I'm not sure whose fault it was specifically, but there was a general lack of carefulness in our group as we proceeded towards the aforementioned areas. It was Master Geoffrey who first noticed one of the eggs cracking, but before we could leave, a baby Dragon tumbled out.

Even in the first few moments of birth, it proved an aggressive beast, lunging at Adrian after a moment's consideration. She was able to defend herself well enough, and I'd just succeeded in slaying the little beast when a ferocious bellow meant that our worst fears had come to pass – the mother dragon had known the egg was about the hatch and had come to check on her offspring.

What followed was a battle for our lives. I spent the majority of the time baiting the dragon, trying to draw its attention from my more fragile colleagues, and in this I believe I was aided by the copious amounts of its offspring's blood on my spear and armour. The beast's rage led her to focus almost solely on me. Still, at one point Adrian attempted to duck under the dragon's claws and aim a blow at the dragon's underbelly. A quick slash and she was sent flying, her own torso now with a large gash in it.

I don't mind admitting that the battle was going badly for us – the dragon's flame breath was able to cover a wide enough area that I couldn't cover all or even most of the others, when it was brought to an abrupt end by Midori finding an opening and plunging her dagger into the creature's neck. To my surprise (and I must admit, horror), the creature was rapidly turned into stone, frozen in the throes of its agony.

While we recovering from the fight (and Master Geoffrey was focusing on healing his pupil) I tried to raise the question of where Midori had mastered such a technique, but she simply shook her head and said that she did not wish to talk about it.

In any case, we were able to complete our mission. But now I have to start keeping a close eye on Midori yet again.

* * *

**Pure**

Today's Profit: 235 en

So, got roped into hunting for some sort of herb thing. Something about it being used to make medicine for some girl who's dying of Green Death or… something? I dunno, I wasn't even paying attention.

I didn't even expect to have to go down into the Labyrinth today, so I guess you could say I was kinda grumpy about the whole thing. Adrian was there too, and we got to talking about what we were doing in there today. Turns out she wasn't too sure either. I guess it had to do with Midori or something. It kinda fled my mind when we were jumped by a giant yellow dragon and all of us had to face off against it.

To no one's surprise, I didn't do much during the fight, although I guess it's kinda to my credit that I didn't get knocked out throughout the thing. Mostly I hung back and darted out to give medicine to anyone I thought would've needed it – especially when Adrian got herself slashed open. _Again_. Her body's going to be one big scar at this rate.

Anyhow, Midori somehow turned the dragon to stone (pretty freaky, I gotta say), and old man Geoffrey seemed to be doing a pretty good job at keeping Adrian on her feet, so I just went ahead dug up some of the plants she asked for. Turns out they grow really well next to heat vents. Don't ask me why. Midori grabbed it, mumbled thank you, and then ran off the instant we were back out of the caves. Well I guess that's the sick girl matter settled.

Went out for dinner with Adrian and Sidney again. It was pretty easy to tell that Adrian was feeling down – I guess getting beaten up in front of her master was a blow to her pride and all that? Sidney and I tried to cheer her up, but she was still a little out of it when we headed back.

You know… Adrian may be tough, but she doesn't seem to know much about healing. Maybe I should just go ask the old man for some tips. Just to, you know, get myself started.

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Frustrated.

I screwed up today. Master insisted on joining me for today's trip, and I _know_ it was to evaluate me for something or other. Doesn't matter what it was now, I guess. I completely blew it.

I was trying to impress him, trying to take chances I shouldn't have when facing down a friggin' mother dragon. All those teachings about caution and waiting and stillness and whatnot just fell out of my head or something. Got a claw to the stomach for my troubles, which was bad enough, but a disapproving look from Master, which was about a million times worse.

I guess I kinda wanted to show off for Pure too. Wonder what he thinks of that little display I put on back there. Ugh. I need some sleep.


	57. On the Waves

Entry Fifty Seven

* * *

**Rook**

What a day.

Word came in during the afternoon about a bounty being placed on whatever freakish monster is roaming around Sheba in the north. Mostly came out about because some textiles merchants got their ships ruined by the beast when they tried to find their way around the currents. I haven't asked Alexis about it, but word is that she plans on letting some other guild handle this one; their hands are full trying to deal with the 3rd Stratum and it's 'wonders'.

Fine by me, I guess.

But I guess the more important part would be Midori showing up during lunchtime and asking if she could talk with me. I guess I should've expected it coming – her mood's been all over the place since we came back from that boat trip. Still, it kinda caught me by surprise, the talk coming when it did.

We took a walk down the seaside – I dunno, I guess I feel more comfortable talking about these things when I'm walking. Mostly she's just conflicted about everything to do with the Deep City and its inhabitants. That, and every time she sees someone (mostly Jules and Alexis) treating cordially with the king of the Deep City she feels a tightening in her chest, and that was one of the reasons she agreed to go with me in on that boat trip in the first place.

I wasn't sure what to say to her, honestly. I mean, I wasn't one of those who got jumped by the giant fishes, and no one else in the Guild had friends they'd lost to the Deep City's tactics. And I've picked up enough rumours at the bars to know that several people from other Guilds have lost friends to the Deep City and they're not a fan of Armoroad being so chummy with the Deep City. Midori's the same way, I guess.

In the end, I pointed out the same thing I did a few weeks back – that Olympia and the rest of the Deep City residents probably wasn't the same. There was also that thing from the Abyssal King about needing to preserve the secrecy of the Deep City because of some terrible secret, but I decided against mentioning it. If it turns out to be a lame duck I'd rather not give Midori more to rage about.

At least this time she seemed a little more receptive, enough so that I asked her if she wanted to go pay a visit to the Deep City. She stiffened a little at that, but after a moment she said that she supposed that a short trip couldn't hurt.

We'll be heading down there tomorrow.

* * *

**Sidney**

Monsters Defeated: Stegosaurus x 2, Flame Lynx x 3

Items Collected: Burning Fur x 2

We found the entrance to the 9th Floor today!

Well, we did that mostly by accident after we realized that we'd accidentally wandered off the area recorded by the map and that we didn't have a clue where we were. After deliberating a few minutes Jules decided to press ahead based on a vague idea that we were moving 'parallel' to the route on the map.

And then we got chased by a couple of enraged sandworms. One of them we managed to get away mainly because it ran into a bunch of ants that tried to swarm it. We didn't stick around to find out who won that particular encounter.

I know Alexis well enough to tell that she's going to chew him a new one when we get back. Wonder if I should hang around her discreetly so I can watch the fireworks. Heh.

Can't say we got _nothing_ out of it, though, since we ended up running into the stairway down by accident. And _then_ we found a passage that got us back to the Submagnetic pole within five minutes of walking. Gotta wonder about who keeps putting stairs that always lead us further in – maybe it was the Deep City folks.

In any case, it wasn't a half bad day for Labyrinth diving, especially since Jules decided to buy us dinner as a sort of apology for getting us lost. Of course he chose the Butterfly Bistro instead of any of the high-end places, but you take what you can get. I know I did – three Quencher Specials in one go!

Adrian's apparently dragged Pure off to spend the night in the 2nd Stratum for some kind of training. I guess it'll help her get out of the funk she was in after she messed up yesterday. Hope she doesn't do anything too strenuous though.

* * *

**Pure**

Today's Profit: 0 en

Spending the night underwater with nothing more than the shirt on my back, and it's freezing down here. It's really different from the 3rd Stratum, that much is for certain.

Adrian's the one who brought me down here for training, but she claims that tonight, she's as much of a student as I am. That hasn't stopped her from having to teach me how to catch my dinner, and now she's sitting by the door to this room meditating.

She's still feeling badly about old man Geoffrey witnessing her screwup, I can tell. I guess that's only to be expected, but I hope that it doesn't eat at her too much. You shouldn't let your mistakes drag you down – lord knows I've made more than enough of them in my time.

I wonder if Geoffrey ever does these kind of Labyrinth expedition things.

* * *

**Jared**

Relena's been getting more and more anxious about the situation in Sheba. Not sure why she'd care about the city that left her to rot, but there it is. Right now the monster trapping it hasn't done more than sink ships that try to come in or out, but a trapped city is a starving one, so it's going to have to be cleared out sooner or later.

Alexis says she's not interested, but Juliana is practically chomping at the bit to go face the monster. Maybe I should go have a talk with her.


	58. Danger Takes Many Forms

Entry Fifty Eight

* * *

**Tinker**

Well, the 10th floor of the Labyrinth's a right harsh place to be, if I do say so myself. Of course, I guess every single floor of the Labyrinth except maybe the first is a pretty harsh place anyway, but we sure took our lumps in this particular case.

Well, when you boil it down to its essentials, our big screwup was not paying attention to those mushrooms all over the place. Nice going there, Dwayne. Anyway we were taking out a bunch of the those weird bugs with rattles on their tales and apparently a few of the mushrooms got antsy with all the fighting going on and started releasing some sort of spore into the air.

I don't really remember much after that. Mostly a lot of confused yelling and stumbling around, and then I remember getting bashed pretty hard on the shoulder. Since Clay was the only one with a blunt weapon in today's group I gotta assume it was her, but, well, decided not to press the issue.

Anyway, we elected to get away from all the mushrooms after our heads had cleared a bit, and so we shortcutted over some heat vents or something. Not the most stable ground, you have to admit, and I'm pretty sure all of us got scorched in the process, but that's what you get when you go traipsing around a volcanic cave.

Finally, we made it through a doorway, slammed the door shut, and then turned around. To find like maybe half a dozen dragons, apparently sleeping on the spots of earth where the lava had seeped through.

I'm not sure it's actually possible to tiptoe while carrying a bow as big as you are, but I managed it somehow. We avoided getting into a fight while in the room, so I guess we were all feeling a bit relieved when we finally made it through.

Then came the ants. Well, at least they looked like ants in shape, although ordinary ants aren't the size of dogs. Then again that makes them easier to shoot. After the first half dozen bunches or so we just wrote it off as enough for one day and yanked the Ariadne Thread back into Armoroad.

Now I could do with several strong drinks.

* * *

**Zeetha**

Today has been _incredible_! So much new information to add about the creatures that live in the 3rd Stratum!

The mushrooms have evolved to defend themselves by using hallucinogenic spores. I have to admit that after inhaling some of them I sincerely believed that my hair was green for a pretty long period. But that raises some fascinating questions – obviously they wouldn't have evolved such a defense mechanism unless there were creatures that wanted to use them as a food source. Which creatures, then? The Nozuchis apparently do not care for the mushrooms , and I have my doubts about the dragons consuming plants. Perhaps the stegosauruses wander down here on occasion to feed? I'll need to step up my observations.

The dragons of the 3rd Stratum apparently make their homes in areas with molten rock around. I suppose it would only be natural that they would seek sources of intense heat for their homes. More importantly, I couldn't find any sign of the baby dragons even though their eggs were scattered all about. I'll need to look into where the dragons' offspring go off to.

Lastly the ants! These are complete mysteries, like so many others within the Labyrinth. How did such creatures grow to such monstrous sizes? Well, I suppose _that_ particular mystery is out of my grasp for now, but at the least, I want to find their nest. They appeared to swarm us once we passed through the doorway (I suppose they didn't want to intrude on dragon territory), so I suppose it must come from the western end of the Labyrinth.

Maybe I should arrange more unofficial visits to the Labyrinth so I can observe these creatures better… and hopefully without them noticing us and being compelled to attack us.

* * *

**Juliana**

After asking Zack and Wooster about what to do, I have decided on a course of action! The nefarious beast plaguing the waters of the city to the north should be struck down in the name of righteousness and justice! Just think about the vast boost to my reputation this will be if I succeed!

I've also talked to Alexis and she's given me the go-ahead, so all that's left to do is to make the plans on who shall accompany my on this adventure. I'll be taking the Tranquility, of course, so there'll be more than enough room for everyone.

Hm. Perhaps I should first see who would willingly volunteer for such a trip. It's always nice to see if people are eager for this sort of thing.

(X)

Jared came up to me and told me that he and Relena would definitely be coming on this journey. Well, that's three slots filled. To be honest, I'm not sure about Wooster and Zack. Both of them would probably come out of obligation to me, but I'm not sure if I shouldn't offer the chance to a couple others?

I guess I'll sleep on it and try to come to some sort of decision later.

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Tired

Well, even for someone as fit as me, spending the whole night in the Labyrinth fighting off monsters tuckers you out some. Especially when you've got to look out for a weaker friend the whole time.

Of course, there was that close call with the King Starfish – that wasn't pleasant. Actually got my blouse torn open a little. It wasn't so bad, except that Pure got to see the amulet.

Of course he asked what it was (after he helped me beat up the Starfish), and of course I gave him the usual answer of not wanting to talk about it.

Man. Sometimes I wonder why I even carry this thing with me if all it's gonna do is give me grief.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 22nd of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

Juliana came up to me with a proposal for taking down the Corotrangul currently terrorizing Sheba. I wearily resigned myself to the fact that the Paragon Guild is apparently going to end up dealing with every single aquatic monster in between Armoroad and the Northern Continent and gave her the go ahead. She'll be handling most of the logistical details for this venture, which I suppose is a good chance for her to flex her skills.

I wonder if she's received word from her father yet.

In other news, Clay's trip today apparently made some headway at the cost of discovering a set of dangers in the 10th floor. More to the point, nothing remotely resembling a 'Hall of Conviction' was found. I guess I'll lead a team in tomorrow and see how much deeper in we can go.


	59. Preparations I

Entry Fifty Nine

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 23rd of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

Progress on discovering the Hall of Conviction was delayed today when we ended up in combat with one of the giant worms inhabiting the 3rd Stratum.

I'm pleased to say that we managed to defeat it.

I am, however, less pleased to say that Zack and I were the only ones standing by the time we dealt the final blow to the beast. He salvaged what he could from the carcass of the creature while I attempted to apply some rudimentary first aid to the others. I believed I'd just about gotten Sidney into consciousness when Zack announced that he was done with the worm. In any case, attempting to progress further would likely have turned out badly for us, so we returned to Armoroad for the day.

Asmodeus came out of it the worst of any of us – his leg was broken and he'll need to spend time recovering before he'll be ready to continue exploration. I get the feeling he was more interested in studying the Deep City (apparently he's been allowed access to their library) so I suppose it's no great loss on his part.

I had a brief talk with Zack after we had returned, mostly to ask if he was fine with having gone on such a harrowing trip when he would be setting out tomorrow to fight the Corotrangul or whatever monster it is that's infesting Sheba, he merely shrugged and told me that he would be fine.

On that note, Lady Juliana has been stockpiling an absolutely extravagant amount of foodstuffs on her ship, and when I pointed out that her journey would likely take less than a single day (especially since they would be starting off at that Geomagnetic pole Rook discovered), she insisted that one had to always be prepared for all possibilities, no matter how unpleasant.

I suppose that she's able to stock up using the Guild's coin would be a factor in her decision. Regardless, I left her to her preparations, I'm sure she'll be able to handle whatever it is that's out there.

His Majesty's been acting strange lately. I wonder if anything's the matter. He probably hasn't heard anything from his Father about the impending war, or at least I hope not. I don't know how long I can keep this from him, though.

* * *

**Jules**

Suddenly I'm starting to wonder if buying a cat for Alexis was such a good idea after all.

Expenditure on Equipment: 3020 en

Expenditure on Supplies: 770 en

Expenditure, Misc: 1240 en

Income, Labyrinth Goods: 783 en

Income, Sea Goods: 322 en

Income, Misc: 0 en

Total Profit: -3925 en

Current Funds: 12, 412 en

* * *

**Juliana**

All the necessary preparations have been made, and we'll be setting out for Sheba come the dawn tomorrow! I've heard descriptions about this beast – it's supposed to be some sort of inhuman monster, surrounded at all times by a flock of loyal attendants. It would be a noble endeavour if they weren't all monsters.

Several of the people who've attempted journeys to Sheba have come back with tales of how it's long, whip-like tail can ensnare you at any time and how its icy breath can leave a man immobilized and unable to defend himself. It all sounds positively horrifying!

The Lady Alexis had the nerve to criticism my preparations for the upcoming trip. I suppose I can understand her concerns, but honestly. It's my ship, and I can do what I want with it!

Zack just read this over my shoulder and commented that Alexis was probably more worried about the money used to purchase all the supplies. Well if _that's_ what she's so upset about, I'm certain that I can cover the funds for her. It'll just take a letter to dad and a couple of weeks.

I should probably mention that Zack insisted on coming along. Well, I suppose I can't fault his enthusiasm, although he looked a little tired from today's excursion. Well, I suppose it won't be a big problem come tomorrow.

Now, I should turn in early. I will need to be well rested and alert for our trip tomorrow! Think of the fame and glory that awaits me once I slay this beast!

* * *

**Zack**

Getting a giant worm kill under my belt wasn't half bad, but it shouldn't compare to fighting off that giant sea monster. Alexis seemed to think I may be biting off a bit more than I can chew, but she doesn't know me. I can handle it.

Lady Juliana appears to be in fine spirits. I suppose that's only to be expected, given that she really hasn't had much action ever since we slew the Hammerhead Shark and some miscellaneous trips into the Labyrinth. This will be her first chance to shine in a while, so I can understand her eagerness. And for my part, I'm going to have to make sure I don't let Lady Juliana down!

If I stop now, I can probably get more training done before nightfall.

* * *

**Jared**

Word's gotten around Armoroad that the Paragon Guild's gunning for the Corotrangul tomorrow. Funny thing is, I think a lot of them were half-expecting it. Know for a fact that at least one group bowed out after hearing that it was declared that we were hunting the monster down.

We really are getting ourselves a bit of a reputation, aren't we? Given the rate more and more of these beasts pop up (and given the rate we're moving deeper into the Labyrinth) I think we'll have plenty of chances to keep boosting that.

As long as we don't get ourselves horribly killed first of course, but then working around Armoroad's waters for so long has given me a bit of perspective on all that.

I think I'll go see Relena now. I wonder how she feels about going so close to Sheba. But then again she was the one who insisted on coming for this trip.


	60. Vs Corotrangul, the Tyrant of the Tides

Entry Sixty

* * *

**Juliana**

I am pleased to report that the foul beast tormenting Sheba is no more! It may have been a long and fierce clash, but the final outcome was never in doubt for a moment. And it was indeed a glorious moment where I dealt the final blow to the aquatic monstrosity, plunging my rapier deep into its flesh!

I am, however, less pleased to report that during the battle the currents whipped up by the creature ended up inadvertently dragging us through the ocean, and even after the creature had expired we were still left at the mercy of the treacherous waves.

Finally we ran aground on the shores of an unmarked island, with the Tranquility having sustained more than its fair share of damage. After inspecting the ship, Jared proclaimed that there was simply no way the five of us could get it on the sea again, so we're stuck here for the time being, I suppose.

At any rate, Zack and Atahualpa volunteered to go scouting in the forests surrounding the island and they've yet to return. I do hope they make it out safely – and that there aren't any unpleasant surprises waiting for us within the canopy of the forest. The rest of us focused on building a campfire and waiting out the night. I must say that all these new experiences are positively thrilling, even if they tend to be inadvertent.

I do worry about Wooster. The poor dear is going to be apoplectic when we don't return by the appointed time. Well, once the others notice they'll set out to search for us, I'm sure. Alexis can be a tad stuffy at times, but at heart she's as reliable as any one of my father's own knights.

Although when she does find me I can point out how I was right to stockpile all that food. Ha!

* * *

**Zack**

Yeouch. Just got back from exploring the island and aside from a brief clash with what appeared to be a living twig, there wasn't much to find. Mostly lots of dark, dense, undergrowth. Cutting through it was a damned chore, but Atahualpa seemed completely at home with moving through the trees.

Well, he did at first. After a while he shook his head and muttered something about a bad smell before saying that we should turn back.

I guess when the guy who's grown up in a jungle tells you to turn back, you turn back.

Can't say I'm not glad for the chance to sit back and unwind. That Corotrangul took some killing and no mistake. Those little creatures all around it were almost as much of a pain to deal with as it was to fight the giant monster itself. Almost – _that_ didn't spew cold air that made swinging my sword properly all but impossible. And just when I thought I'd got a handle on the thing its tail came out of the water to wrap around me. If Atahualpa hadn't attacked the creature and forced it to back off at that moment I might've been dragged underwater, and that doesn't really bear thinking about, does it?

Lady Juliana did splendidly out there today, I thought. She's really growing as a leader, able to give commands that aligned properly with the flow of the battle to give us. I don't doubt she played a pivotal role in helping us to fell the beast, and in the end, it _was_ her who delivered the final strike.

Well, there's nothing really much to do aside from waiting to be rescued, so maybe I'll turn in early.

Or maybe I'll go check to see how Lady Juliana is doing. She can't be used to spending the nights outdoors, after all.

* * *

**Jared**

It's bad enough that there are so many beasties out there in the waters, but why do so many of them had small armies of smaller monsters that follow its beck and call.

Any case, Relena and I were the ones assigned small fry cleanup duty while Zack, Atahualpa and the princess dealt with the Corotrangul itself. I can't decide if the ones that kept spewing lightning at me were worse than the ones that kept blowing up in my faces, but beyond a certain point I guess it's all academic, and by the end of the fighting I was all but out of ammo.

Relena was fighting like a woman possessed out there. She was just carving her way through the enemy hordes without giving a thought to her own safety. I guess she still cares about Sheba in her own way. Still seemed uncomfortable at the idea of entering it again, though, which is why I guess getting swept away onto this island might have been a blessing in disguise. (Although we could have avoided all this had Juliana been slightly more adept at handling the wheel. Nice going, princess.)

Kind of, anyway. Juliana's stockpiled more than enough food to last us a while, but she didn't pack any rum. Or beer. Or mead. Or any other alcohol. How in the blazes does someone stock a ship and neglect to pack anything to drink?

Well, at least we shouldn't be out here too long. Relena's been giving funny glances at the forest behind us, but there's no reason to go in deep now, and we should be fine as long as we stay on the ship instead of gallivanting about.

Relena's already turned in for the night. Guess I'll go join her.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 24th of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

Word just reached us from Sheba that the HMS Tranquility was dragged off course by the Corotrangul, and that last any of Sheba's citizens saw of it, the ship was still locked in combat with the monster and its servants.

Rook's already gone out with Jules in the St. Eris to the North to help look for them. I volunteered to accompany them, but Jules pointed out that someone needed to stay behind and manage the Guild affairs, and that I would be better suited for that task then he, if only because he doesn't have a phobia of sea travel like I do.

As much as I hated to concede the point, he was right, and I saw the both of them (along with Midori and Rossa) off about an hour ago. And said 'mundane' Guild matters presented itself shortly after, such as having to foot the bill for Asmodeus' treatment. There's also a general halt on Labyrinth exploration, at least until we find Juliana's group and bring them back.

In the meantime, his Majesty told me not to open the door to his room until he returned. I haven't the slightest idea why, but it's an easy enough request to abide by.

* * *

**Asmodeus**

All that time spent studying how to read the stars, and you think they'd be of enough use to warn me when I'm about to receive a broken arm.

Well, at least this won't affect my research into the Deep City. Much.

I suppose I'll pay them another visit to their Library tomorrow. I've been starting to piece together some cryptic references to a suppose 'Deep One', whatever that is. Or perhaps there's more than one of those? More research will of course be needed.


	61. This and That IX

Entry Sixty One

* * *

**Jules**

No luck with finding Juliana and the others today.

Well, that's not quite true. We actually have a pretty good idea of where they are, it's just getting to them that's going to be the problem. I don't think the Tranquility was any more equipped than the St. Eris for moving through seaweed this thick, but maybe the Corotrangul churning up the place allowed them through inadvertently. Or something. Rook isn't sure either.

Anyway, we'll be spending the night in Sheba while they outfit our ship with the necessary equipment to allow us to break through the seaweed tangles. I guess we can tow the Tranquility behind us on the way out or something (Juliana will throw a fit if we try to leave it behind). I sent a messenger to Alexis informing her about the situation. She should be able to handle things well enough back at the Guild for one more day.

Hang tight for a while longer, guys. We'll be there to help you soon.

Current Expenses: 100 en to rent a naval ram and get it installed. Will integrate it into other finances when I get back to Armoroad.

* * *

**Midori**

Sheba's design and architecture is really different from Armoroad's. For one thing it's surrounded on all sides by walls and towers. The cities in the South sea tend to be more… open? But then according to history Sheba's been the target of several invasion attempts from the North so I guess they have a right to be wary.

Everything's _white_ here. I was helping out on the ship until evening so I didn't get to properly see the town until then (and my feet could use a good long soak in a tub of warm water) but I gotta imagine that the whole place would be positively blinding under the noonday sun.

Based on the direction that the Corotrangul monster thing dragged the Tranquility off to as well as the currents, we've managed to pinpoint an island west of Sheba as the most likely place for Jared and Relena and the others to have ended up. Only thing is there's a lot of seaweed in the way so we kind of have to wait for the ship to be outfitted with some sort of ram to get through it. Rook was overseeing the process and when I paid a visit to him earlier he was yelling at them nonstop about being more careful with his ship. It was actually kinda funny to watch.

As for myself, well, once all the work was done there wasn't really much to do. I wasn't really familiar with Sheba so I mostly wandered about a bit through the bazaar areas. A lot of the stuff there I've never seen before; it was a bit of an eye opener.

No fox masks on sale, though.

I tried some sort of rolled up bread stuffed with meat and sauce for dinner. So far I've spent most of the night throwing up. No more of _that_ for me.

* * *

**Rossa**

The food in Sheba is delicious! Especially the gyros! I ordered extra sauce on mine too.

Lady Juliana and the others should be all right for one more night. In the meantime, I should check how quickly these things spoil so I can stock up before I leave.

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Bored

So Armoroad's throwing some sort of yearly festival soon. According to Pure, it translates into 'Night of the Thousand Glittering Lights of the Sea' from the old languages. A bit of a mouthful, really.

Well I sure wouldn't mind kicking back and enjoying myself when the festival hits (and I'm pretty sure Master wouldn't mind me doing that either), but that's not for a week or so and right now there are no Labyrinth expeditions planned since half our manpower is out at sea for one reason or other.

So really, there hasn't been much to do aside from training. And training Pure, too. He's learning a lot faster than I thought he would be, and he hasn't made any excuses about feeling under the weather or something for skipping out on work. Guess I won _that_ little bet with Sidney. Heh.

The robe Pure bought for me's getting to be a little tattered. Maybe I shouldn't wear it so much, especially when I'm Labyrinth diving. I know it's made of tough material and all, but I don't think many things stand up well to walking inside a volcano. Or what's close enough to a volcano to be one anyway.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 25th of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

I received word from the front desk of the inn that a cat(?) had escaped from his Majesty's room when one of the cleaning staff entered to tidy up the place.

I honestly had no idea how to respond to that aside from promising to keep a lookout.

All I know is that I'll have some questions for his Majesty when he gets back.


	62. A Safe Return

Entry Sixty Two

* * *

**Juliana**

Well we've finally been rescued from that dreadful island, and not a moment too soon.

I was woken this morning by Zack coming to tell me that there was a ship on the horizon sailing towards us. Before long it became apparent that it was the St. Eris coming to rescue us, and we hurriedly began packing out things so that we would be ready to leave by the time they reached us.

In the end, it took far longer than I'd had anticipated, mainly because Jules had (correctly) anticipated that I'd want to bring the Tranquillity back with me. I must say that really was rather thoughtful of him. So in the end once we got into our rowboats we spent about two hours connecting the Tranquillity to the St. Eris. Zack offered to let me rest while he picked up my slack, but it _is_ my ship and I didn't want to appear unsporting.

And to be honest, I suspect that some of the others were not entirely happy with having to spend so much time on salvaging the Tranquillity. I'm not about to give up the ship father gave me, though.

Wooster quite nearly fell over himself when I stepped off the gangplank onto dry land again. I'd been right in thinking that he'd been beside himself with worry. Well, I calmed him as best I could and assured him I'd been fine during my impromptu camping trip.

And now I'm back in the relative comfort of Armoroad. It does feel ever so nice to be able to sink back into a sofa and simply relax. Jules and Alexis were having some sort of animated discussion as they left the inn, but I suppose it really doesn't have very much to do with me.

Now. I wonder what I shall have for dinner tonight?

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 26th of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

According to the missive his Majesty sent, he should return sometime today in the afternoon. I suppose I'll ask the staff at the inn to get ready for the arrival of several tired patrons all at once.

Meanwhile I've managed to track down what I believe to be the wandering cat that had somehow found its way into his Majesty's room. If nothing else, it fits the description given by the maid who let the creature escape in the first place. In absence of any other place to keep it until his Majesty gets back (and my assumption that his request not to enter his room is still standing) I've brought it to my room so I can keep an eye on it until I can ask his Majesty about it. In all probability it will just be some stray that found its way into the room by accident but I suppose it won't hurt to have a confirmation.

It appears surprisingly well behaved, if nothing else. Right now it's simply napping while I work on shuffling the next set of Guild duties. And I'm going to have to check on the condition of Juliana's crew when they return before I can safely decide what tasks to assign them over the next few days.

(X)

Jules got back, and everyone else who went out to sea as well. They're all fine, more or less, which is fortunate. Most of them are recuperating right now in their own way (Jared hit the pubs almost immediately, I believe), and since we're back to full strength I can plan our next push to finally reach the Hall of Conviction (I believe the Abyssal King is getting rather impatient with us, although I don't really see why he's so anxious about all this).

Also, the kitten was apparently supposed to be a gift to me. For the anniversary of my knighting, he claimed. I was once more in the rather uncomfortable position of not having any idea of how to respond to something like that. I can't exactly turn down a gift from his Majesty, even if it's not something I wanted at all.

Jules later brought across the rest of things he'd apparently decided that a pet kitten needed, including several bags of pet food, a basket with some sort of cloth, and what appeared to be a scratching post. I also got him to promise that he would help me with taking care of it since the whole thing was his idea.

And it just occurred to me that I'll have to think of a name for it.

* * *

**Jules**

The rescue mission went off without a hitch, and Alexis took the news of her now having a pet tolerably well, so I'd say today wasn't a bad day at all.

Of course, shortly after I came back a message from the Senatus arrived. Apparently Senator Flowdia would like to have a word with me about the Hall of Conviction and what might be found there. That she knows a bit more about the history of Armoroad, the Deep City, and the Labyrinth than she's letting on is obvious, and trying to tease it out of her is an exercise in frustration.

Also, Atahualpa mentioned something about the island we picked them up from being 'a dark place'. Well, I would suppose so, given how thickly the trees in there grow, but I guess he meant something a bit different. I just get the feeling he really doesn't like that place.

Also, apparently we've been getting more and more applicants for the Guild lately. Most of them seemed decent fighters too, but we had to turn them down. We're already running into administrative issues as-is, unless they're a cut above the rest we really don't have space for more people in the Guilds.

Expenses, Equipment: 0 en

Expenses, Supplies: 135 en

Expenses, Misc: 100 en

Profit, Labyrinth Goods: 0 en

Profit, Ocean Goods: 210 en (Rook apparently got some fishing done without me noticing)

Profit, Misc: 47 en

Total profit: 22 en

Total Current Funds: 9, 753 en

* * *

**Sidney**

Been experimenting with a set of Ice rounds. Just seems like it'd be useful for the 3rd Stratum, you know? Plus if I can get this down I'll master the whole set!

Maybe I should go have a talk with Asmodeus about this. After all, he helped Clay with enchanting her weapon with Ice, didn't he?

In other news, preparations for the Festival of Lights is well under way. They've already started putting up the tents and banners all around the place. This will be Adrian's first time experiencing the Festival – Pure and I will have to make sure it's a good one for her.

I wonder if they'll set up that 'Horror Mansion' tent again. That was a fun one. Of course, half the fun was sneaking in because Mom and Dad thought my temperament was too delicate to handle it. Pfft. I've already killed scarier things these past couple of months.


	63. Training Session VI

Entry Sixty Two

* * *

**Geoffrey**

Thought for the day: Teamwork allows others to cover your weaknesses.

Entered the 2nd Stratum today.

Intention was to face one of the Scaled Dragons that populate the seventh floor.

Sir Wooster led the way. I believe he wished to prove his mettle after not being brought along by the Lady Juliana on the hunt for the Corotrangul.

Rossa came along, mainly out of idle curiousity.

Clay came along, in search of a challenge.

Lastly, Zeetha came along, seeking to study the creature.

It was a tenacious battle, but we eventually succeeded.

I deemed Clay and Rossa in need of medical attention and so we retreated quickly after that.

I do wonder why the beast had a book on his person, though.

The boy Pure has come to me with a request about learning healing. I am willing to teach him, but I question if he has the discipline to master such a path.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 26th of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

'Scraps'.

It's not the best name, but I believe it fits my new roommate well enough, if only because it keeps insisting on eating the leftovers from my meals.

His Majesty said that it was a nice name, although I suspect he might have said it primarily so as to avoid upsetting me.

Rossa shrugged, said the name wasn't important, and went back to playing with it, mostly by dangling a piece of string in front of it.

Pure scratched his head, mumbled 'whatever', and requested this week's pay. I think it hissed at him on his way out.

Juliana called it 'painfully unoriginal'.

Scraps it is.

(X)

Had a training session with his Majesty earlier in the evening. During out sparring session I brought up the fact that trying to properly protect an entire team of explorers was a noticeably different task than trying to protect him alone. Naturally, I had to give him priority, although he did not see it that way, and in fact urged me to focus more on the others.

The ability to guard multiple people at once… I've been looking into it, and I believe I might have a proper solution. But then there's no way to no for real until I test it in actual combat.

Another Labyrinth venture has been scheduled for tomorrow. Assuming no more unpleasant surprises (which is a shaky assumption anyway) we should be able to locate the Hall of Conviction by tomorrow.

* * *

**Midori**

Went to visit Agata and Hypatia's graves today. Rook came along with me without me needing to ask. I'm glad he was there with me.

Luckily none of the beasts in the area had been nosing around, at least as far as I could see. I guess we did a decent job of digging proper graves for them. Rook stood a distance away to wait for me and to keep an eye out for enemies.

We spent about fifteen minutes there before heading back. When I got back I found a quiet spot on the beach and got back to training. One of the techniques in Agata's scroll was about using the last of your life to fire a bolt of flame at your enemy. If I combine it with my ability to create body doubles, I might be able to use _them_ as bait to attack my opponents.

I'll need all the edge I can get. Even if not against the Deep City, against the beasts of the Labyrinth.

* * *

**Melina**

I've been working hard on improving my stamina today. People like Ms. Alexis and Ms. Adrian expend so much energy on protecting me and Pure when we go in; I don't want to fall behind.

I've been studying Ms. Alexis' teachings with the shield, and I think I've just about got the hang of blocking enemy attacks. It's still not too reliable, though. I should probably work in more practice. I'd ask Ms. Alexis, but she appeared to be cooped up in her room for a rather long while today. I wonder what the matter was with her.

I also went to Ms. Edie's store to sell some of the Flame Fruit's I'd been gathering (Pure wanted to see what kind of juice he could make with it, but if he wants it so badly he can jolly well gather his own ingredients) and she offered me a cup of tea. I had to pay for it, of course, but I know the prefers the expensive imported stuff and the charge was nothing, really. We got to talking about the branch in the Deep City, and how there haven't been enough explorers down there to drum up big business. Well, that's something we can't really fix until more Guilds are found worthy of entrance, isn't it? I do wonder what sort of tests the Deep City and the Senatus have for determining if Guilds are found worthy…

* * *

**Pure**

Today's Profit: 1314 en

Got paid today, so that's one bright spot.

Today Adrian's training consisted of asking me to dash to the spots in the 3rd Stratum where the Flame Fruits grow (which, I might add, cross over several heat vents), pick as many of them as possible, and make it back in as short a time as possible.

Hey, it turns out you're not actually running as fast as you can until an enraged stegosaurus is bearing down on you with teeth as big as your entire arm. I honest to go thought I was done for until Adrian jumped in and hit it right on the head, stunning it long enough for me to get away. And then Sidney followed up by shooting it in the leg.

Also, flame fruits don't make for good juices. Guess I'll be getting more of those moss strawberries for Adrian the next time I head in. We've also been picking up the Scarlet Sage every once in a while to send over the innkeeper boy's friend overseas. Wonder how much more they need.

Also, Master Geoffrey okayed my request to learn healing, but he warned that 'it would demand much of me'.

I can _hardly_ _wait_.

* * *

**Sidney**

Ice rounds were a no-go today. Pure nearly got skewered because my critical shot simply refused to go off and if Adrian hadn't jumped in to cover for me I wouldn't have had time to reload and fire a bolt into that monster's thigh.

Rrgh. Guess I'm gonna have to pull another all-nighter figuring out what I did wrong. That juice Pure made earlier is also making me too twitchy to sleep right right now (and it didn't taste very good anyway).

I wonder if it's the release mechanism that's the problem.


	64. Red Night

Entry Sixty Four

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 27th of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

So much for the lack of unpleasant surprises. We've had the unfortunate experience of running into several more nests of the dragons that live in the area, as well as discovering first hand that they tend to be agitated when fighting breaks out in their resting chambers.

Well I try not to overestimate my own capabilities, I believe that as a Holy Knight of the Empire I have achieved a certain level of physical ability. That ability was nonetheless severely taxed by us having to constantly flee from those dragons. We may have been able to best one in single combat, but attempting to face down half a dozen of them at the same time would be tantamount to suicide. The extreme heat played a large role in sapping my strength of course, but then the counter argument is that I should have simply prepared myself for this better.

We've also managed to locate the Hall of Conviction. And I'm not convinced that locating it in the middle of a giant – I don't know what the exact geological term is, but there's lava seeping out all over the place and crossing it will not be pleasant.

For the time being we've decided to retreat and hole up in a corner of the room – aside from the occasional wandering (giant) ant there appear to be less monsters around than usual. There's also a hot spring here of some kind we were able to use to replenish our water supplies after cooling it down, since we didn't anticipate having to stay here overnight we didn't bring nearly enough for that long. All of us are exhausted right now, and his Majesty and I concurred that we want to be fully rested before approaching the Hall of Conviction – who knows what's waiting for us in there.

I wonder how Scraps is faring on his own.

* * *

**Jules**

We're currently huddled together in an uncomfortable heap at the far end of one of the floor's corners, trying to catch some sleep and recover our strength before we enter the Hall of Conviction. Needless to say, it's been a rather uncomfortable and trying experience so far.

I offered to try singing some songs to keep morale up, but that idea was quickly shot down. Not that I'd honestly expected it to go through, but it probably couldn't hurt to have asked.

Got a pretty nasty burn on my arm earlier. Alexis looked at it with her usual amount of fussing and admonishment, which gave me time to notice her own injuries. When I pointed that out she shrugged and told me she'd look to them later. I did what I could with the magic Rossa had taught me, but I can't be sure how effective it was. And while we're at it I made Alexis take off her armour. Her discomfort at being so vulnerable while she slept was obvious, but I doubt it would match the discomfort of having spent the night in scorching conditions while she slept.

Sometimes I wonder if Alexis has too much common sense or too little.

* * *

**Zeetha**

Oh, pooh. I haven't been able to find out more about the ants. We were too busy killing them. I hope we don't end up disrupting the ecosystem of this place. We're only a small group, but the Labyrinth isn't _that_ big either.

Still, based on the directions they attacked us from, I'm relatively certain now that their main nest is not on the tenth floor, and what's more, there has to be multiple entrances and exits in between this area and the nest. It's still up in the air whether it's the floor above or below us, though.

Sleeping in here isn't the height of comfort, but it reminds me of the time father took me to the Lahetna Volcano to track down the rare Spotted Flan. If anything, conditions there were even worse, so this is something I should be able to deal with easily.

I let Gosric off to go do his hunting. He'll return whenever he's filled.

I wonder what's in this Hall of Conviction that everyone is concerned about. Maybe some ferocious beast forgotten by the rest of the world?

* * *

**Midori**

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow we find out about this great secret the Deep City and the Abyssal King have been keeping all this time.

And whether or not it was worth the lives of dozens upon dozens of explorers.

* * *

**Asmodeus**

The Paragon Guild and its members appear to have acquired something of a reputation amongst the people of Armoroad. I can't say I don't want to be noticed by others around me, but I hadn't expected it to be on the basis of my battle prowess instead of, say, my scholarly exploits.

Well, I take recognition where I can get it. It's not like the people back at the Library will be any less impressed with the work I'm collating on the Deep City right now. I've returned to Armoroad's library and I'm now comparing the historical accounts in their texts with that of Armoroad's. There are several significant differences in events that probably bear more investigating. Naturally all of Armoroad's texts become severely fragmented during the period of the Calamity, which is more or less what happened all along the rest of the civilizations on the Northern Seas.

Infuriatingly enough, the section of the Deep City's Library that deals with events after the Calamity have been sealed off from 'outsiders' like me. I hope whatever goes down today in the Labyrinth with the Hall of Conviction, wins us more of the Abyssal King's trust. It's quite possible the one set of intact accounts about what exactly occurred one hundred years ago.

Horoscope: Within the maze, there lies the ancient frost.

* * *

**Rook**

Armoroad explorers claim they've discovered an island with an underground network of tunnels to the south of here. From the way things were built, it was obviously designed as a defensive network, but against what, they're not too sure.

Anyway, word on the street is that they're on the lookout for guards for hire. That, and some historians to help them analyse anything they might find in those ruins. I'll run this by Alexis when she gets back from exploring the Hall of Conviction. It sounds like something the Guild might want to take an interest in.


	65. The Eldest One

Entry Sixty Five

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 28th of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

Today has been a day of discovery, and the majority of them were not pleasant.

We reached the Hall of Conviction in what I deemed to be shortly before dawn, to find Olympia there waiting for us. Midori stiffened slightly upon catching sight of her, but otherwise remained calm. After a curt greeting she unlocked the door to the inner chamber, and let us in to face the creature she referred to as the Eldest One.

What followed was it somehow spawning a pair of warriors from its blood and forcing us into a battle for our lives. Throughout it all, the being known as the Eldest One simply sat back and watched us silently.

As for its spawn, they proved formidable opponents. The five of us together were barely able to outmatch them, and with Zeetha's pet bird distracting the female half of the pair for us.

After the battle, the Eldest One applauded us mockingly before asking us why we were here at all. What followed was a brief explanation (mostly from Olympia) on the nature of the Eldest One and the other… creatures of its race. Then she ushered us out again.

The Eldest One… my time with it was brief, but there was an immense intelligence and will within that creature. I admit to not sensing much malice from it, but then it did send its spawn to attack us. But at the same time it did not bother to face us itself. Perhaps it was testing us?

Regardless, we still do not have all the pieces of the puzzle. His Majesty was just preparing to make a request for an audience with the Abyssal King when a missive arrived saying that the Abyssal King wished to meet with us anyway. We need to use this meeting to find out more about the so-called 'Deep Ones', and how it is related to the mystery of the Labyrinth, and what we should do going forward.

Scraps greeted me with a dismissive flick of his tail upon my return to my quarters. It's always nice to be loved.

* * *

**Jules**

The Eldest One. It seems an odd name to give him, really. He's not human, but humanoid enough for us to recognize many of his features as being childlike.

There's no denying his abilities, though. Those minions he created without any visible effort were powerful enough to severely tax the five of us, and it's a safe assumption that he had far more tricks up his sleeves.

According to Olympia, the Eldest One is the god of the Deep Ones, an aquatic race that considers itself the enemy of humanity. That explains a bit, but it also raises more questions, such as why we haven't amassed armies to defeat them, or why the secrecy of their existence is so important.

I discussed these matters with Alexis after returning to Armoroad, and she had no answer for me either. I'm to appear before the Abyssal King tomorrow, so hopefully we'll be able to get a fuller picture of the situation then.

Rook came to me with news about an archaeological group looking to hire bodyguards for some ruin exploration. I don't see a problem with lending our services, but I think it best that we figure out more about the Deep Ones first. I also told the others who were with me not to speak about what we saw there until I meet with the Abyssal King tomorrow. If he wants this thing hidden, I suppose I can hear his explanations out first.

When I went to inform Alexis that dinner was ready I found her fast asleep, still in the clothes she had set out yesterday with. She must have been more exhausted then she'd let on. I called Scraps and fed him myself; there was no reason to disturb her.

* * *

**Midori**

Olympia was there today. She displayed no emotion, no acknowledgment of the fact that she had tried to end our lives more than once. For her this affair was simply a task assigned by the Abyssal King. Just thinking about that, thinking about her, makes my blood boil. And then we'd entered the deepest chamber of the Hall of Conviction.

The Eldest One. That's the source of the Deep City's fears, the reason they tried so hard to prevent anyone from finding the Deep City at all.

I admit I don't have a clear view of the whole situation, but I didn't see what about it would require such drastic measures, I mean, yeah that was a tough fight, but the five of us were able to beat its soldiers. Don't tell me all those soldiers hanging around the Deep City can't take that thing on?

Jules ordered us not to talk about the Eldest One until he could talk with the Abyssal King and figure out more about the situation. I didn't like telling Rook that I couldn't talk about it, but hopefully things will change soon enough.

The Eldest One. It was definitely hostile to us from the moment we entered its presence. Still, if they've managed to lock it up, why don't they just kill it? Why are they taking half-measures against these supposed enemies of all humanity while killing any of the people whose only crime is simple ignorance. It doesn't add up.

I need more answers.

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Pensive

After the group came back from their foray to the Hall of Conviction, most of them were pretty quiet. I tried asking Zack about what happened there, but it was pretty clear after a few minutes that he didn't want to talk about it.

Had lunch with Sidney today (Pure got dragged away by Melina to attend some sort of conference on farming methods) and I couldn't help but notice that conversation in the restaurant kinda died down when we went inside. I also caught a few whispers about the Paragon Guild and us being a part of it.

Gotta say, becoming something of a celebrity takes a bit of getting used to. When I brought this up with Sidney she just chuckled and shrugged. I guess being the daughter of a fancy merchant gets you used to this sort of thing? I'm not too sure.

* * *

**Zeetha**

I can't write too much right now, but! But! Those creatures! Growing so rapidly from mere blood! What kind of unique physiology must those monsters have?

I wonder if their even sentient? Their leader certainly was, but the creatures he spawned made no sound through the entirety of our battle. It's certainly possible that they might be mindless drones.

Just think! And entirely new species hidden within the Labyrinth! I _have_ to see this through to the end now! What else could await us down there?


	66. The Menace of the Deep

Entry Sixty Six

* * *

**Jules**

So.

Today's meeting with the Abyssal King didn't exactly start on the right foot. I'd brought Alexis with me because I figured that anything important enough for me to know was also important enough for her to know.

Apparently Seyfried intended for our talk to be private, and we ended up with an argument over that. Alexis appeared on the verge of simply opting to remain outside the chamber, but I pointed out that if Seyfried had Olympia attending him for this talk, then there was no reason to deny me the courtesy of having my own retainer. At this he subsided, although with obvious ill grace, and began to tell us about the Deep Ones.

Apparently the threat of the Deep Ones has existed for ages – but it came to a head a century ago, in the event now known only as the Calamity. There the Deep Ones rose from the depths en masse and waged war against humanity all across the Northern Seas. They were on the verge of overrunning most of the island cities when the Abyssal King took up Yggdrasil's offer to sink the central portion of Armoroad, bringing the fight to the home of the Deep Ones. That, of course, wrecked the section of Armoroad that remained above the seas.

So that's where we are now. The Abyssal King managed to capture the Eldest One ages ago, and has spent the interim period between then and now holding back the hordes of Deep Ones, along with those who agreed to join him in his battle. Apparently some magic in Yggdrasil was what gave him his long life and strength.

And as for why this has to be such a secret… apparently the Deep Ones feed off the fear of humans or… or something. I wasn't too clear on that point. But the idea is that the less humans know of the Deep One's existence, the weaker they'll be.

I guess that's why they only let the strongest Guilds enter the Deep City and beyond?

He left us with that information for now, with strict orders that this was not to spread beyond the Guild (I'm pretty sure he didn't even want it to leave the room, but at least he knew [i]that[/i] would have been an exercise in futility). I've no doubt that he'll ask us to do more concerning the Deep Ones before very long, but right now I guess the important thing is to inform the rest of Paragon and try to figure out what we should do about this.

When we were leaving the Deep Palace, I noticed Alexis had a deep frown on her face. I asked her about it, but she shook her head and said that she would talk to me about it later.

Expenses, Supplies: 312 en

Expenses, Equipment: 0en

Expenses, Misc: 35 en

Profit, Labyrinth Goods: 450 en

Profit, Seafaring Goods: 0 en

Profit, Misc: 1000 en

Total Profit: 1103 en

Total Current Funds: 13, 275 en

* * *

**Alexis**

We learnt about the Deep Ones today. About the threat they pose to humans, and the reason for the secrecy of the Deep City. All in all, a strange tale.

I can't help but note that aside from the Eldest One, we've yet to meet any other creatures that could be described as a 'Deep One'. I would assume ocean dwellers would not feel too comfortable with a volcanic cavern (and I suspect that is part of the reason why they imprisoned the Eldest One here), but we've met none at all so far.

According to the Abyssal King, Armoroad, or at least the area of Armoroad that became the Deep City, was brought to the depths along with Yggdrasil to combat the Deep Ones. But we've not seen any sign of combat with the Deep Ones ever since our arrival. I can't help but find this situation rather incongruous with what the Abyssal King has been telling us.

While his Majesty went to inform the rest of the Guild about the truth behind the Deep City, I went around to ask several of the locals about the current situation concerning the war with the Deep Ones. Most of them were rather cagey about the whole affair, but from what they did say it was possible to determine that they're rather unnerved by the recent lull in hostilities.

Honestly, not a good sign. This situation has rapidly become a lot bigger than simply exploring a Labyrinth, which I suppose the Abyssal King knew all along. Now the next thing to decide is what to do going forward. I'd rather not leave the Abyssal King and his soldiers to fight this war on their own, but at the same time I'm not sure we bring enough to the table to create a practical difference.

At the very least, we should consult the rest of the Guild before moving ahead. They all have a stake in this matter now, too. And I suppose there shouldn't be an issue with continuing Labyrinth exploration. At least, for the time being.

* * *

**Asmodeus**

I was recently informed that the books in the Deep Library concerning the Calamity are now available for perusing. Of course the Abyssal King has already spoken to our Guild leaders about the events of a century ago, so I suppose he feels there is no longer a need to keep them restricted.

More troublesome is the standing order not to speak of the existence of the Deep Ones to anyone outside the Guild. My duty is to report such knowledge and events back to the Library, where it can be used for the benefit of mankind. I reluctantly agreed to a temporary silence, but once our venture with the Labyrinth is over, I will be spreading the word of the Deep Ones at the library, whether or not the Abyssal King gives his approval.

For now, I suppose I'll be holed up in the Deep Library, soaking up as much info as I can. Or at least I would be doing so if I weren't assigned to tomorrow's Labyrinth journey.

Horoscope: Size matters.

What in the world?

* * *

**Tinker**

Hoo boy, Dwayne, looks like you've got yourself into a bit of a mess without even knowing about it. Deep Ones? A threat to all humanity? The secret to the Calamity? Honestly all I wanted out of this gig was a bit of extra coin and maybe being able to blow some stuff up.

I'm not even sure I really want to tangle with the Deep Ones. From what I heard, two of them nearly laid five of us flat just yesterday, and hell, I'm not exactly the toughest customer around. But at the same time I'm already privy to this sort of information, so I'm not sure they'd just let me leave and blab it out to others, would they?

Come to think of it, I got the feeling that the prince and his knight weren't quite sure how to proceed either. And while we're on the subject, I didn't hear anything about the Abyssal King asking us to do anything. You know these types, get your head too high up in the clouds and you lose all connection from what us ordinary folk think.

* * *

**Pure**

Today's Profit: 12 en

Oh, gods.

How did I get myself into this?

One moment I'm just a guy thinking he'll sign up for a guild to get some steady cashflow, the next moment I'm locked into a front row seat with some ancient menace from the depths of time or some other nonsense.

_Of course_ Adrian would look forward to matching blows with the Deep Ones. She was practically bouncing on her feet at the thought of getting to challenge such powerful creatures. Meanwhile, sane people like me are wondering why joining this Guild seemed like such a good idea in the first place.

I need a drink. Or two. Or several.

* * *

**Rook**

Well, that was quite the revelation.

Still, all that's in the future, and I'll cross the bridge when I come to it.

Right now I'm more worried about Midori. When we got the news about the Deep Ones from Jules, she got up and began walking away. I wanted to chase after her, but Clay grabbed me by the arm and shook her head.

Still, I should go talk to her soon.


	67. Preparations II

Entry Sixty Seven

* * *

**Rossa**

The festival in Armoroad will be starting tomorrow! I went down to the Deep City to invite some of the people I know there – I thought it would be a good idea to give them a taste of Armoroad's culture and everything.

But Angie shook her head and told me that recently a group of explorer's from Armoroad had gotten themselves badly hurt and that right now all her time was devoted simply to keeping that lot alive. She looked a little tired, too, so I asked her if I could do anything to help. I want to be able to use my magic to help people too, after all. In the end I helped her sterilize her medical equipment with my fire. I hoped what I did was helpful, at any rate.

Later I went to find Edie's sister. She was bored, because most adventurers who ever came to the Deep City just stocked up in Armoroad first. I think we're one of two Guilds that frequent the branch with any regularity. Anyway, she couldn't come either because her sister had placed her under strict orders not to leave the branch for any period of time. Most of the time I spent there was with her complaining, although I guess I can't really blame her for feeling unhappy.

I saw Olympia at the entrance to the Celestial Palace, and I kinda considered inviting her too, but I guess she wouldn't be popular with the Armoroad locals. I mean, she _did_ get a lot of explorers killed. Besides, she looked kinda upset about something anyway.

When we got back to Armoroad the Innkeeper's son was helping to decorate the inn, and Midori was helping him, so I pitched in a little too. It felt kinda nice to be helping with this sort of thing.

It might have been a little easier if Scraps hadn't kept getting underfoot. Whatever the official inn policy on pets is, the cat's got free run of pretty much the whole place.

* * *

**Asmodeus**

The culmination of today's venture was us getting rampaged over by a berserk elephant with spiked tusks. The sad part is that it wasn't even the worst experience I've suffered within the Labyrinth.

Regardless, we survived once more, and managed to discover the route deeper into the Labyrinth. I've already passed the information on to Alexis, and for now I simply want the chance to rest and recuperate.

Unfortunately, preparations for some sort of festival appear to be ongoing, with the resultant increase in noise being rather distressing. I suppose I can make the best of it, but still, this really is awful timing.

Perhaps I might be able to rest better if I lodged at the Deep City's Twinkling Tavern for the night. I don't believe anyone in the Guild would mind.

* * *

**Melina**

The Farmer's Guild asked for all hands to help with distribution of the foodstuffs for the festival tomorrow. Naturally Pure was nowhere to be found when I went to look for him.

Oh well, the work was still carried out without a hitch. Now my back is aching, but it's nothing I can't handle. It was nearly nightfall by the time I was done with my work, so I took a walk to the town square. I'm always surprised by how quickly they managed to transform everything each year. There're so many stalls now, and once the sun rises the whole place is going to be a huge blaze of colour.

I'm actually glad for the festival. Everyone was feeling a little down yesterday after we learnt about the Deep Ones (well, almost everyone). This should be a good chance to get everyone's spirits back up.

And of course we'll get to show the beauty of Armoroad to those of us from distant lands. I can't wait for the looks on their faces when they see the Swimming Dragons dance in the town square.

* * *

**Clay**

Someone asked me to help them with setting up stalls and stuff for some fair tomorrow. Heck, it's a way to pass a few hours and get a handful of coins, I'm not complaining.

Went for dinner at the Bistro, caught sight of Jared and Relena talking. Didn't catch much, but apparently they were talking about Sheba and that Relena came from there. Sounded like there's something he wanted her to do with that place? It's not really much of my business.

Also, Missy didn't have much on the menu tonight. Just as I was having a craving for some of her braised sea cucumber. Fucking figures.

* * *

**Midori**

It's a little jarring to have everyone discussing the Deep Ones and the danger they pose to humanity one day, and the next we're preparing for a festival. I guess it's true that we should always make time to relax and refresh ourselves, but… I don't know. It just seems wrong, somehow.

The locals are really getting into the spirit of things, though. The innkeeper's boy needed help with setting up decorations for the festival (although I have to wonder why he only bothered to do so one day before the actual event, and I decided to help him with that. A little while later, Rossa joined in to help as well.

We got to talking about this tradition, and the kid explained that long ago, before the Skandalia lighthouse was built, a princess of Armoroad was lost at sea and didn't know how to find her way back, and none of the search parties that they sent out was able to find her. And then one night, her ship appeared again, sailing through the fog, with the princess still on the boat, safe and sound. When asked about how she managed to find her way back without knowing anything about navigation, she claimed that a path of golden lights appeared on the water, leading the way back home.

Ever since then, every year they release thousands of floating candles onto the waters of Armoroad, in the hopes that the lights will lead wayward sailors back home.

It's a nice story, I guess. He told me that the sight of all the lights on the water come nightfall will take my breath away. I guess I'll take his word for it, and I'll see for myself tomorrow.

* * *

**Juliana**

Well! Today's Labyrinth expedition was simply dreadful! Never mind the boiling heat and the endless number of ravenous beasts, I ended up getting my foot stuck in a crack in the ground and ended up having to sacrifice a boot.

Well, it wasn't all bad, though. At the least, we've discovered a path into the eleventh floor. I daresay Alexis will be pleased with that news.

And now there's a huge festival about to take palce! It honestly kind of snuck up on me, and I've just realized that this will be the first time I've seen any sort of celebration amongst the common folk. Wooster seems to view the whole matter as being rather degenerate, but Zack's assured me that if it's anything like the feasts we hold back home, I'll love it.

I do hope so. This promises to be a wonderful learning experience.

* * *

**Atahualpa**

The town is holding a feast day soon. I understand their importance, but I am not fond of large, milling crowds in a place such as this.

Perhaps I shall spend the day to come in the woods surrounding the town instead of within its wall. It is indeed pleasant to be without the responsibility of overseeing the populace.

Ahul, I hope the mantle of a leader does not rest too heavy upon you.


	68. Festival of Lights

Entry Sixty Eight

* * *

**Midori**

The Night of the Thousand Glittering Lights of the Sea.

Rook knows a lot about it – after all, he's been to Armoroad any number of times, so I guess he'd know about their celebrations. In any case, he offered to give me a grand tour of the place.

For most of the day we mostly walked around, seeing performers put on shows and demonstrations. There were a couple of mock duels being held for the townspeople's entertainment, but watching them it was easy to see that those were playactors and not actual warriors. The crowds seemed to like it, though, and who am I to complain?

The real payoff was at night, when the entire town released their candles onto the water at once. I thought that if there was any turbulence in the water it'd make the whole thing go off, but the sea was as smooth as glass tonight. When I mentioned it, Rook chuckled and told me that all the times he'd been here for the Festival, he'd never seen a time where the ocean wasn't at its calmest at night.

A few minutes after the candles were released into the water, everyone in the crowd was silent watching the candles float down the water. It really was a beautiful sight. While I was sitting there, I honestly felt like I could just stay there and watch it forever.

The kid was right, after all.

* * *

**Pure**

Today's Profit: 0 en

Another year, another Festival of Lights.

This time, the feeling was a little different, though. Maybe it's because we've found the Deep City or because the sea lanes are getting more cleared up or… or whatever, but there was a lot more intensity in the air.

I don't mean to brag, but I caught sight of Senator Flowdia and Princess Gutrune releasing their own candles out there. They weren't any fancier than the others, so they disappeared into the crowd pretty quickly, but I could see the two of them standing there quietly and talking to each other for a while.

A while later I glanced back and noticed that they'd already left. I guess they had more important stuff to do than to take part in the dancing and feasting and whatever.

Speaking of dancing. Adrian got herself rip-roaring drunk somehow, which is a surprise considering how much she hates alcohol. And not just a little tipsy, either. We're talking red-in-the-face, giggling-to-herself-for-five-minutes, hug-random-people-and-say-you-love-them drunk. At one point I ended up with her arms wrapped around my waist and me being, I swear, _carried_ out to the dance on the town plaza while spouting some nonsense about how I was her disciple and disciples had to obey their masters.

I needn't remind you that Adrian is far, far stronger than I am.

The only other person I recognized was Melina, not that it did me much good when she was simply doubled over with laughter at the sight of the both of us.

So yeah, ended up 'dancing' with Adrian. She probably wasn't the best dancer even when sober and drunk out of her skull as she was she spent more time tripping over her own feet than anything. In the end Master Geoffrey helped me carry her back to her room where she enthusiastically proclaimed that 'It looks just like a bird's nest' before falling onto the bed, fast asleep.

I wonder how she'll react to this tomorrow.

* * *

**Sidney**

The Festival of Lights this year was a success, as always. I kinda wish I could have been with the rest of the Guild, but my parents dragged me away for one of the official dinners with the rest of the upper crust. At least the dress they made me wear wasn't that stifling.

Anyway, after the dinner we were just in time for the candle ceremony, and we all went there to watch. I admit I slipped away a little from mom and dad for a better view, but I wasn't expecting to catch sight of the Princess slipping her own candle into the water.

I mean, I guess she'd have her own contribution, being part of Armoroad and all, but I always figured that the princess' candle would have some big ceremony where she'd be the first to release it to a waiting crowd or something. The way she did it, it looked really personal for her.

Heh, now I've got myself thinking about the old legend about the princess who was led home by the lights. I wonder if there's anyone the princess or anyone wants to be led home?

Later ran into Pure at the end looking like… well, like the time he ended up on the wrong end of a Furyhorn, actually. I asked him what was up and he mumbled something about never letting Adrian have alcohol again.

I wonder if I really want to know.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 1st of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

Days of festivity are always good ways of keeping the morale of the populace high, and I suppose today's was no exception. And the sight of thousands of candles on the water was indeed breathtaking.

I ran into Juliana near the pub, eating some sort of spiced shrimp that's apparently a delicacy only brought out for special occasions like today. When she caught sight of me she waved me over and offered me several pieces. I didn't have much else to do, so I accepted her offer and we just sat there and ate for a while.

After a while, we got to talking about festivals in each of our countries. Apparently one of the celebrations both of our states have in common is the Feast of the Saviour. Juliana appears to have never heard of the Day of Saints, and I admit that I was clueless when she talked about the gaiety and absurdity of the Festival of Fools.

We all had our traditions, I suppose. And the Lady Juliana has a great pride in the traditions of her nation – even if she admits that she doesn't fully understand all of them. Perhaps it was the general atmosphere of revelry at the time, but I suggested that when she returns to her own country she could try participating in the celebrations herself. She looked a little surprised – but not displeased – at the idea.

* * *

**Jules**

Got a message from the Abyssal King around the time the celebrations were starting to break up. Apparently he has a task he wants us to perform and we should meet him as soon as possible.

I guess that means we go see him at first light tomorrow? Maybe Yggdrasil empowers the Deep Citizens to be able to operate around the clock, but us ordinary, unaugmented humans require something in the way of sleep.

I wonder what he'll ask of us, come to think of it. It'll probably have something to do with the Deep Ones, I guess.


	69. Orders From Above

Entry Sixty Nine

* * *

**Jules**

When I met with him, the Abyssal King issued a demand for me to help him in stopping explorers from attempting to venture deeper into the Labyrinth and potentially provoke the Deep Ones.

It seemed a bit contradictory for him to have ever allowed explorers to continue exploring and then suddenly issued a gag order, and I told him as much (in conciliatory tones, of course. Alexis was there and she'd probably had done something like stamp on my foot if she thought I was behaving in a manner unbefitting a noble). The reply was that he'd needed to ensure that only the absolute best, those with the strength to face the Deep Ones, could be allowed through, and that as it stood he wasn't sure about a large number of the Guilds that had passed the selection process.

I gathered he believed that the tests devised by the Senatus in Armoroad was nowhere near rigorous enough for his liking, and now he's seeking to eliminate that middle man by having us (the one Guild who's apparently surpassed his standards) shut down the exploits of the others.

It feels like dirty work, this. I had a bit of a talk with Sir Geoffrey and Alexis about this later on, and he pointed out that the Abyssal King's been used to dealing with the problem of the Deep Ones on his own discretion for a century, and our appearance and activities would be something he's not very used to. Fair enough, I guess, but that doesn't change the fact that this isn't a very useful way of handling things.

It's not like I even want to get involved in the affairs of the other Guilds. Alexis is adamant that I can't be seen marching in step to the will of another sovereign, especially if it's counter to my own interests. But as it stands, my refusal to comply will end up hurting relations (tenuous as they are right now) with the Deep City and Armoroad, and the Guild will be in the centre of it.

This is a big mess.

* * *

**Sidney**

Mom and Dad asked me to join them today for an official meeting with the Senatus. I wasn't sure what it was about, but I didn't have any Guild duties scheduled today so I said yes and just went with them.

Miss Flowdia was there, of course, but what I didn't expect was for Princess Gutrune to attend. I never was the most attentive at picking up news from the grapevine, but then I didn't have to be in order to know that the Princess has always been frail. I honestly thought her excursion out for last night's Festival would have left her exhausted.

And, well, to be frank she still didn't look very well today.

The second surprise was that Mom and Dad hadn't brought me along just so I could watch – I was the main reason for this audience. Well, the Paragon Guild's activities was the main reason, and I was the person they chose to contact. After hearing what they had to say, I guess it's because they felt that if push came to shove I'd side with Armoroad over the Deep City (Ugh. Just writing this down makes me feel a little sleazy.)

Apparently they know about the Deep Ones already, despite the Abyssal King's attempts to keep it hidden from Armoroad (I should mention that I was escorted into an inner chamber while mom and dad were left to cool their heels with some tea and biscuits. Being treated as more important than my parents felt really odd). And they intend to fight the menace, which I suppose is a good thing. But they know the Abyssal King won't approve of this, so they want to see if the Paragon Guild can be counted on for support.

I didn't give them a direct answer (how could I?) but I know they won't be willing to wait forever. The Abyssal King's been meeting with Jules and making other demands too, that much I know.

I joined up on this journey to help _reunite_ Armoroad and the Deep City, not to pick and choose one side over the other. This is all turning into one big mess.

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Barely functioning

What the hell happened last night. Feels like

Like Master got one into one of his sparring duels with me, only he didn't hold back and

Hard to write

Hard to think

Remember carrying some sort of struggling animal. Gotta ask Pure about that one.

* * *

**Pure**

Today's Profit: 328 en

Came back from today's work to find Adrian slumped over in the common area of the inn, face planted in what I guess is her diary. Managed to carry her to her room without anyone helping, so that's another fruit of her training.

Not to mention I still carried out my exercises today even though Adrian was in no shape to watch over me. It's routine enough in my life by now, I guess.

Also, I caught sight of Melina helping with the after-festival cleanup. I swear, her work ethic makes the rest of us look bad. Especially since she refused to quit even when she had that cough of hers.

Yeah, I ended up going out there and helping her. (Would've just taken over, but she refused to leave…)

I hope Alexis didn't see me.

* * *

**Clay**

Oh hell yeah.

Some rich bastard with more money than sense decided to hold some kind of competition to see how can bash the most monster heads in the 3rd Stratum. Well, a challenge like that isn't one that I'm going to pass up.

I figure I'll get a few of the others that like a good scrap, and then we can sign up for this and have ourselves a good time in the 3rd Stratum. Guess I'll just float the idea at the next Guild meeting.

* * *

**Juliana**

Oho! Just what I needed to brighten up my day

Jules gave me approval to sign up a squad as bodyguards for that tunnel excavation expedition to the southeast of Armoroad! I've already met with one of the head historians (he's a nice enough person, but his name's a trifle odd. Bongaro, I believe it was?) Now all I need to do is to put together a team (Wooster has expressed his interest in joining so far) and we'll be off on another adventure!

I must say that the Lady Alexis and Jules look unusually troubled today. Well, I don't expect it to be _that_ serious a matter, and if it is, I'm always willing to lend an ear and perhaps some of my expertise if it will aid them. I know I'm not knowledgeable in that wide a range of topics, but what I do know might prove useful!


	70. This and That X

Entry Seventy

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 3rd of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

Although diplomatic relations between the Deep City, Armoroad and Paragon are souring at a rapid rate, we still have leeway to continue exploration of the Labyrinth, and I intend to make use of that freedom.

So naturally we would run into Kujura on the 11th floor of the Labyrinth. He spoke to us briefly about being sure of where our loyalties lay before departing further. I could not help but notice that he was travelling alone and did not appear to be having any trouble with the Labyrinth's denizens. That, and the way he carried himself, spoke highly of his skill.

That aside, we encountered a new kind of monster here – some distant cousin of the dragons inhabiting the area, perhaps. Smaller and coloured a dull green, these winged lizards could snort heated fumes at us. While not overly dangerous, they proved a constant annoyance for our trek through the stratum.

We also happened upon another chamber filled with the larger, more conventional dragons. This chamber had actual lava pits that they rested in, so we were sure to steer clear of them. They didn't appear very aggressive, so we were able to avoid further combat.

Sidney and Adrian also discovered what appeared to be a rock with several decorative markings on it. After observing it for a few moments we were unable to determine what purpose (if any) it served, and so we let it be for the time being.

I had a talk with his Majesty over dinner tonight after returning from the journey. It was one of the restaurants in the Deep City that they'd recommended to him (and I must say that the cool air of the underwater restaurant was a welcome relief from the blasted heat of the 3rd stratum). We got to discussing what we should do about Armoroad and Deep City in the event that being neutral proved untenable. Sidney had informed me that Armoroad intended to combat the Deep Ones with or without the Deep City's approval, but it appears they don't have a set timeframe in mind. (I'm inclined to think that they're waiting to see where some of the Guilds (including outs) decide to pledge their loyalty to.)

In any case, his Majesty was not keen on enforcing the Deep City's demand for Guilds to vacate the 3rd stratum. Not that it appeared to matter much, there weren't many travellers at even the 10th floor, and the only person we met from outside our Guild on the 11th was Kujura. On the flip side, Armoroad's policy of aggression against the Deep Ones appears reckless. Given that the Abyssal King has been fighting those creatures off for a century, I'm inclined to believe he knows what he's talking about when he claims that the Deep Ones are too much for man to handle.

I also received a report from Holy Renais. Repeated skirmishes along our border with the Western Shelf. The situation back home can't keep from degenerating into open war for much longer. And his Majesty still doesn't know anything about it. Or, at least I don't think so. He's received correspondence from his siblings, of course, but his countenance doesn't appear to have been affected any, so perhaps they're conspiring to keep the situation from him.

I wonder how much Lady Juliana knows about this. Given that she's hired herself out as a bodyguard on some excavation expedition, my guess would be 'not very much'.

* * *

**Juliana**

Well, this journey has been a bit of a disappointment so far.

First off, we couldn't take the Tranquility for this trip. Apparently there wasn't enough space to store all the materials they'd need for this journey. It was a bit upsetting for me, but of course I took it in stride.

Now we're on the island and, well, it's just been dreadfully boring. All the historians are busy poking around all the ancient stonework which I'm sure I'd find fascinating if I could understand the slightest bit of anything that's going on. Zack's just spent most of the day napping, and Wooster keeps looking through the ruins as if he had the slightest idea what any of it meant. Athulpa (Is that how his name is spelt? I'm not sure.) just keeps staring out to see, and of course Asmodeus is busy assisting the others since he actually knows what this is all about.

I thought that when we were hired as bodyguards we'd end up fighting off graverobbers or ancient tomb guardians or… or _something_. But so far it's just been a big boring wait for nothing. And it's not even like I need the cash from this job badly.

All I can say is that _something_ had better happen soon or this trip will have been a gigantic waste of time.

* * *

**Rossa**

Went exploring around the Deep City again today when I ran into… something odd. I was walking down one of the back alleys when I nearly tripped over what I first thought was a pile of junk someone had dumped there.

It was only after it started moving and told me to watch where I was going that I realized it was alive. Well, sort of. It's alive in the sense that Olympia is alive, I guess.

I said sorry and hurried off. But looking back now, I have to wonder. Olympia could pass for a human if she just threw a cloak over her body. This other Yggdroid was clearly mechanical all over. I wonder why there's a difference between the two of them?

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Embarassed

What in the world did I do the other night? Pure and Master avoid the topic whenever I bring it up, Sidney shrugs and just says that she heard it wasn't pretty, and I think I've caught sight of Melina and Rossa laughing behind my back.

Ugh. I didn't even want to drink that stupid ale. But Tinker kept on blathering about how it was the finest brew in the Northern Seas no matter how many times I told him I don't like to drink I finally grabbed a cup and downed it just to shut him up.

And now I can't remember what happened. Oh well, it can't have been anything _too_ bad, I guess. I hope.

Also, made another trip to the Labyrinth today. I handled myself fairly well, if I say so myself.

* * *

**Clay**

Jared, Relena, Rook and Tinker agreed to come with me on our monster hunt. The contest starts tomorrow, and I know I'll be winning this one! Apparently there's some kind of tally for each type of monster you kill being worth a different amount of points. I wonder if I should try doing a hunt for a few of those dragons in the middle levels. I'm pretty sure they'll be a sure way to victory.


	71. Vs the Golem, Silent Sentinel of Stone

Entry Seventy One

* * *

**Wooster**

Confound this wretched ruins and whoever built them! Whose idea was it to leave unsupervised golems lying about?

We were forced into a fight for the lives of all of the crew, and Lady Juliana very nearly died! Those scoundrels never warned us that such beings might be stored in the area.

In any case, the Lady Juliana is resting on the ship. I'm told her condition is stable, but she'll need to return to Armoroad immediately for proper medical care. But those accursed archaeologists and historians refuse to listen to reason – they insist on remaining here for one more day to finish their inane research and to set things up for the next research team.

And even Asmodeus agreed with them on the matter, claiming that her wounds were already treated and nothing very serious. The man has no notion of solidarity with us whatsoever.

Urgh. The doctor they brought with them barred me from Lady Juliana's room for 'making a ruckus'. I was merely trying to ascertain her wellbeing! This is infuriating!

* * *

**Juliana**

Oh dear, Wooster appears to be overreacting again. I took a nasty blow to the ribs, true, but nothing that serious. And in any case, I've been having plenty of rest now and breathing doesn't hurt quite so much.

I must say it was a massive shock when that statue suddenly came to life and began assaulting us. If it weren't for Atahualpa shouting a warning a moment before the statue started to move we would have been caught completely off guard. Still, after the first few seconds all the noncombatants had cleared the chamber and we were able to engage it properly.

At first everything appeared to be going our way. Despite the creature's massive size, Wooster was as reliable as ever in withstanding its blows, and with him covering us I was able to enchant Zack and Atahualpa's weapons with fire and lightning respectively. Meanwhile Asmodeus hung near the back, focusing his freezing spells on one of the golem's legs in the hope of making it brittle enough to be easily snapped off. At one point I noticed that the golem had placed some kind of charm on itself to heal its wounds, and I began to prepared a counterspell that would strip its regeneration away.

Then everything went wrong at once when it folded its arms and created some kind of counter spell. Suddenly the strikes landed by Zack and Atahualpa were returned tenfold and the two of them were sent flying. Then the creature took advantage of the distraction and aimed a punch straight at me. I couldn't dodge in time, but I hit it with an Ad Nihilo just before the fist connected.

And, well, I don't remember much after that.

Not that it matters much, I suppose. We were victorious, and the research team have discovered several artifacts to analyze when they return to Armoroad. I here they plan to leave something tonight.

I must say that this trip proved more fruitful than I expected.

* * *

**Zack**

Man, that living statue _thing_ was a nightmare! After Lady Juliana got knocked out one of the historians who had a bit of a history with fighting jumped in to take her palce. Name's Bongaro or something, and apparently he used to be some kind of brawler before he got interested in history.

Anyway, we beat it down, and I hurried over to Lady Juliana's side to check that she was okay when I heard this grinding sound and I turned around to see it standing up _again_ and ready for round two. Gotta say, we were a lot more cautious about when to attack it, and I'm not sure it didn't cost us more in the end. All I know is that by the end of it most of us were slumped over trying to catch our breath. We made sure to pull the damn thing apart piece by piece when we got it down the second time. No one wanted the chance of it resurrecting itself or whatever.

Lady Juliana turned out fine (still needs rest and probably some better facilities back in Armoroad) but Wooster was fussing over her like a mother hen. Heh. Just imagine the tirade if I told him that to his face.

Anyway, we won't be moving until late tonight. Can't say I'll be too sorry to see the back of this island. It's a nice looking place, but all the fancy runes and glyphs and statues and whatever doesn't mean much to me. Asmodeus is the guy going nuts making sketches and records and whatever. (I get the feeling he'll be over on the next boat. Heh.)

* * *

**Melina**

Clay sent in a special emergency request with Ms. Edie for a large delivery of Madoras. Apparently she's going hunting somewhere soon and wanted a stock of medicines. Well, I guess it's a good thing Pure and I made a gathering trip for some flame fruits pretty recently. In any case, I wished her well on her hunting trip.

Tomorrow we'll be venturing deeper into the 3rd Stratum to gather some ores that apparently can only be found there. I haven't had the misfortune of running into one of those dragons that live in the area yet, and I hope it doesn't start soon.

Also, I bought a new hoe from Ms. Edie. This should help me with my gardening.

* * *

**Jared**

The monster hunt starts tomorrow. Can't say I'm going to turn down a good brawl, so I hope the monsters down there put up a good fight. This was Clay's idea, though. Guess I'm just going along for the ride.

Come to think of it, Clay's been a lot more open recently than when I first met her. She was always sullen and… I dunno, tense. Jumpy. She's loosened up a lot since then. Still kinda brusque, but willing to quaff a few mugs with you.

Can't say that's a half bad change at all.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 4th of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

The Senatus has also been putting pressure on us lately. His Majesty is obviously getting frustrated. I'm not sure if there's anything we could conceivably do to pacify both Armoroad and the Deep City, but neither do I see settling down with one side as a particularly viable option.

The way things are going, we're going to need to gather all the members of our Guild and settle on a concrete course of action. There's always the possibility some of them might leave if we settled on an option that they can't accept, so I suppose their views deserve to be heard.

(One possibility would be simply abandoning this quest altogether, but I don't honestly believe that is going to happen.)

In other news, the Guild was a little quieter than normal today, but the administrative duties were as constant as ever. I spent approximately an hour working my way through them before an elderly man entered the office. Despite his age, the way he carried himself was unmistakably that of a soldier.

I asked if I could help him and he shook his head, claiming that he merely wished to take a closer look at the Paragon Guild he'd heard so much about. I didn't see the harm in that, so I let him be as I continued my work. Eventually he left without a word.

I'm still not sure what that was all about.


	72. Ghosts of the Past

Entry Seventy Two

* * *

**Clay**

Heh.

Almost bit off more than I could chew today. Stumbled on a Dragon nest and we went to town on them. Damn near got our shit kicked in, but hell if it wasn't worth it just for the rush. Good things I got us the extra Madora stock before we set out or we probably wouldn't have made it. We still had some time left after the fight, so we went around clubbing some of the weaker monsters, but honestly everything was small potatoes after what the dragon nest.

Goes without saying that we won the fight, of course. Got our prize (some kind of funny medicine. Whatever.) from the dude who set up the whole competition – name was 'Elval' or something like that. Would've let him keep the stupid thing if given a chance, but hell, free stuff. Not complaining.

Went out for dinner with Jared and Relena at the Butterfly Bistro. Brushed off the congratulations from Missy and had our seat near the ocean. During the meal I caught sight of Relena gazing north again, and I guess I was just feeling tipsy enough to ask her about it. Turns out it was something of a sensitive issue – Jared tried to waylay me first, but Relena said it was okay.

Turns out Relena's from Sheba to the north. Apparently some bad shit went down there and she was forced to flee the place. Can't go back now. Eventually she hooked up with Jared in Batavia, and I guess that's good, but it's just not the same. I guess I'd know.

Well, I figured that if she was willing to spill I could tell them a bit too, so I told them about Lavarn… and what happened when Theopolis sent its army through the area. 'I can't go home either,' that's what I said to her.

Our dinner got more quiet after that, but it wasn't the awkward sort of quiet. More like

Aw hell, I dunno how to say it. I'll know what I was thinking about when I reread this, anyway.

* * *

**Rook**

Remind me never to sign up for one of these slaughterfests again. I thought I was in good shape, but… yeesh. What's stranger was people like Clay and Jared getting so fired up over the whole thing. When I signed up I thought it'd be more like trekking through the Labyrinth, but instead we found a Dragon nest and jumped straight in and started bashing heads.

Went to find Midori after the whole mess, but apparently she'd headed down into the Labyrinth with Alexis. Guess we must've missed her on the way back or something. Oh well.

Juliana and her group docked in Armoroad early morning – I know because Geoffrey got called up to help deal with some kind of injury that she'd taken, and he inadvertently woke me up. Had a talk with Zack about it later, and apparently they have living statues or something guarding the ruins southeast of here. Wonder what that's all about.

* * *

**Asmodeus**

Preliminary studies of the ruins have determined it to be involved with the Deep Ones in some way. Several tomes I located in one of the antechambers have indicated that they survived until the Calamity, at which point most of the humans within were annihilated, leaving only a few remnants of their existence, such as that automaton guardian we fought yesterday.

I decided to pay a visit to the Deep Library after a short rest, with the intent of finding out the name of the subterranean civilization that had once existed there. While there I caught sight of Rossa walking towards the Twinkling Tavern as well. I wonder what she was doing there. Oh well, no matter. I've managed to find three leads about this civilization: only time will tell what I can uncover.

* * *

**Rossa**

We found the path to the 12th floor today! The 11th floor was mostly one long, hard slog around the whole place, and I guess I kinda slowed everyone else down because I wasn't used to such long treks.

We also ran into some kind of weird lava monster. I get the feeling Big Brother's Ice magic would have been a lot more useful than anything I had, but he hadn't returned when we set off (and I don't think he'd be up for another expedition anyway.)

Anyway, even after we found the 12th floor we had to turn back quickly because we ran into some kind of poison lizard. Honestly it was hard to even approach the thing – the fumes it was snorting was debilitating even at a distance. We're going to have to find a better way to evade those monsters.

Also I paid a visit to Angie after our journey, and when I mentioned that I'd been to the 12th floor, she asked if I'd seen the Gatekeeper. I hadn't, and I told her as much.

Turns out the Gatekeeper is the first line of defence against the territory of the Deep Ones. It's some kind of metal giant that stands guard at the entrance to the Deep Ones' shrine (but apparently it was the Deep City's shrine before or something?). According to Angie, it's incredibly tough. Well, I guess it would have to be if it's going to defend the Deep City all by itself.

I heard Jules and Alexis have scheduled a big meeting for tomorrow morning. I wonder what that's about.

* * *

**Jules**

Damn Kujura and the Senatus. We'd barely stepped out from the our trip to the 12th floor when they whisked me and Alexis away for a conference of some kind.

Long story short, a group of explorers made it even further than us (somehow) and discovered some sort of guardian preventing access to the 4th Stratum. Apparently it regarded the humans as hostile and attacked them; only two of the nine people there made it back out.

So naturally they wanted us to team up with Kujura and destroy the Gatekeeper. Oh yeah, that's going to go down _real_ well with the Deep City.

But I guess they already knew that. At this point the line's in the sand and they just want to know which side we're standing on.

… I'm always told that this is one of the worst things a monarch can say, but I honestly don't know what to do. I wanted to ask Alexis for advice, but she's sent out a message for the whole Guild to assemble tomorrow and now she's just holed herself up in her room.

Surely the demand for us to choose sides can't have shook her that badly?

Expenses, Supplies: 124 en

Expenses, Equipment: 7, 431 en

Expenses, Misc: 35 en

Income, Labyrinth Goods: 568 en

Income, Sea Goods: 321 en

Income, Misc: 0 en

Total Profit: -6,766 en

Total Current Funds: 7,323 en

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 5th of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

So it's come to this. No more delaying and stall tactics – this time tomorrow, we'll have to commit ourselves to a course action, whether it be siding with Armoroad, the Deep City, or simply refusing the demands of both sides.

Scraps was unusually active today. He keeps climbing onto my lap as I attempt to write this, until I finally gave in and used me free hand to pat and scratch it as it sleeps on my lap. It truly is a carefree creature. Which reminds me that I'll need to talk to the innkeeper about getting me a steady supply of food for Scraps.


	73. A Precarious Decision

Entry Seventy Three

* * *

**Tinker**

Well, there was a big fancy debate today for the whole Guild. Long and short of it is that Armoroad and the Deep City aren't seeing eye to eye and they want us to pick a side. I guess the leaders must have been pretty uncertain about how to proceed, and in any case they opened the floor to us to say our piece.

Well, as far as I'm concerned, we should leave well enough alone. We set out to find the Deep City and we did it. At this point, any other stuff we do would be meddling beyond our boundaries. Also, on an entirely personal note, I'm not too sure about fighting these Deep Ones. They're apparently a bunch of tough customers and I think the Abyssal King guy's got the right idea, trying to seal off the menace from the rest of the world.

Just my opinion, though. I said my piece, others said theirs, and now we've basically split up and went to do our own thing. Jules and Alexis haven't gotten their answer ready yet – at the end of the day, the decision is up to them.

* * *

**Midori**

Alexis and Jules still appeared uncertain about the correct path. As far as I'm concerned, the words of the Abyssal King and any of his minions isn't worth a fig. They had dozens of people killed to protect some stupid secret and now that Armoroad is actually offering to join forces against the Deep Ones he just blows them off with some nonsense about how 'the strength of man cannot prevail against them'?

We should enter the Abyssal Shrine and defeat the best the Deep Ones have to throw at us. I've been observing the soldiers and Yggdroids of the Deep City. If _they_ are enough to hold the Deep Ones off, then we shouldn't have very many problems at all.

After the meeting, I went to talk to Rook about how I felt. He wasn't too keen on getting involved in a war – he pointed out that it's a fundamentally different experience from simply exploring a labyrinth. Is it really going to be like that, though? The way I understand it, we're not going to be drafted into Armoroad's army or anything like that – they'll just want us to perform tasks to help them.

… Well, either way, I refuse to side with the Deep City on this.

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Frustrated.

Man, why do they always have to mix politics and crap into these sort of things? It's supposed to be _simple_! There's a Labyrinth, we go in there and beat up anything that looks at us funny. Now there's ancient monsters from beyond time and people demanding we pick one side and all that other nonsense. I mean, I _like_ the idea of fighting ancient monsters from beyond time but the rest I can do without.

So anyway, that was my vote when Alexis asked us about it. The cockfighting between the nobles have nothing to do with us, so let's keep it that way. Diving headfirst into their squabbling about who has the right to do what where ranks right up there with getting my teeth dug out one by one with a rusty nail as far as fun ways to spend my time goes.

We've got a Labyrinth to explore, and that's basically all we need, yeah?

* * *

**Sidney**

I did some soul searching the past few days, as much as I could, so I guess I was as ready with my answer as I was ever going to be when Alexis asked us for our opinion on what to do.

I was born and raised in Armoroad. My parents made their fortunes with the backing of the Senatus and the Princess. When it comes down to it… everything I've done was for the sake of Armoroad's future. I guess I can't throw all of that away on the basis of problems that _might_ occur if Armoroad keeps doing what it has.

I don't want to make an enemy of the Deep City, but at the end of the day, I'm a citizen of Armoroad, and a subject of Princess Gutrune. I know I can't expect the others in the Guild to follow the same line of thinking, especially not Prince Jules. I wonder what he'll do in the end.

* * *

**Rossa**

I wasn't too sure until yesterday, but I guess the talk with Angie confirmed it – The Deep City should know more about whatever it is that's lurking at the bottom than Armoroad, and as well as just how much of a threat it poses. If they insist that we should stay out of it… well, I guess we should listen to them, shouldn't we? I mean, they've spent the last century dealing with the threat, they should know what it's like.

Besides, I don't really want to get caught up in a big war anyway.

Big Brother's line of reasoning was that we should side with the Deep City so they won't be annoyed with us and he can retain access to the Deep Library. Typical.

* * *

**Geoffrey**

A choice was presented to us.

The Deep City's plans, or Armoroads.

I advocated following the wishes of the Deep City.

Some wisdom can only come with time.

Also, I do not approve of taking wanton aggressive action.

* * *

**Pure**

Today's Profit: 0 en

Not sure why they even asked me about what side we should join up with. I don't care. As long as I keep hauling in the cash from helping them dig up plants and ore and whatnot, I'm fine. Besides, this gives me a good reason to deny any culpability if anything goes ploin-shaped down the line.

To be honest, I'm not sure what Jules and Alexis are gonna go with in the end. This is why being a responsible leader's such a lousy job, huh? Honestly I don't think any of the available options are that appealing.

* * *

**Juliana**

Hmph. I don't believe for a moment that I should bow to the whims of the Abyssal King's demands. I came on this journey to win fame and fortune for myself, and I'm not going to achieve that by being barred further access into the Labyrinth, am I?

No, the Abyssal King's demands are unacceptable to me, and I told Jules as much. I believe Zack and Wooster were in complete agreement with me on the matter.

* * *

Date: 15 of the Month of Summoner by the reckoning of the Solar Calender

From: **Jules Vernessus Maximillian the Fourteenth, Prince of the Holy Empire of the Maximillians, Bearer of the White Staff of Helen and the Crown of Seven Leaves**

To: Abyssal King Seyfried, Sovereign of the Deep City

Greetings, Esteemed Ruler of the Deep City,

I seek to inform you that the Paragon Guild has come to a decision regarding the requests you have made of us, in particular the demand to halt exploration of the Yggdrasil Labyrinth and to prevent other Guilds from progressing deeper into the area known as the Third Stratum of the Labyrinth.

We have decided to reject your demands, and to continue exploration of the Labyrinth. Furthermore, we do not believe it our duty to prevent the exploration of other explorers who know full well the risks of venturing into the depths of the Labyrinth. You should know that the Senatus of Armoroad has always been aware of the existence of the Deep Ones and that they have lately been attempting to make their existence known to those who venture into the Third Stratum and beyond.

However, at the same time we wish to inform you that we will also not abide by the wishes of the Senatus in Armoroad, specifically their demand that we aid them in waging war against the Deep Ones. Our purpose is simply to venture into the depths of the Labyrinth, nothing more nor less. If it should so occur that we end up meeting the Deep Ones in battle, then so be it.

That being said, we request that the Gatekeeper preventing access to the area known as the Abyssal Shrine be temporarily deactivated to allow us to pass through unhindered. If you wish to write us off as fools who are walking to the slaughter, do so, but allow us to make our own decisions concerning the risks that we wish to take. That is all we ask.

* * *

Date: 15 of the Month of Summoner by the reckoning of the Solar Calender

From: **Alexis Wulfenbach, Knight of the Golden Eye of the Holy Empire of the Maximillians**, authorized to speak on behalf of Prince Jules Vernessus Maximillian the Fourteenth of the Holy Empire of the Maximillians

To: Senator Flowdia of the Senatus of Armoroad

Greetings, my Lady,

It is with the deepest regret that I inform you that we must refuse your request to aid you in your planned campaign against the Deep Ones. None of the members of the my Guild signed up with the intent of joining a war, and it would be acting in bad faith to plunge them into the midst of a conflict such as this.

Our primary goal has been to conquer the Yggdrasil Labyrinth, and even now that has not changed. If our path brings us into conflict with the Deep Ones, then so be it, but we will not actively seek out combat with them. We hope you understand our position, and we wish you success in your own endeavours against them.

That being said, I understand that there have been fears amongst the Senatus that we might end up joining with the Deep City to prevent explorers from venturing any deeper than the Third Stratum. You may rest assured that his Majesty will most certainly not perform menial tasks for the ruler of another nation. This affair is for the Senatus and the Abyssal King to resolve – we want no part in either side of the conflict.

Godspeed.


	74. Uncertain Future

Entry Seventy Four

* * *

**Jules**

There hasn't been any response from the Abyssal King or any of his subjects yet. Can't say I'm too surprised by that, although I am a bit disappointed.

In any case, we'll be moving down to the 12th floor tomorrow with the hopes of finding our way to the 4th Stratum and the so-called Abyssal Shrine. I don't harbor much hope that Seyfried will actually tell the Gatekeeper to stand down, so I suppose we'd best be prepared for a battle as well.

I went to talk to Alexis during the early evening. I found her feeding Scraps at that time and we got to talking about the consequences of our decision. I mean, we had that long talk yesterday too before we got around to writing those letters, but there's just this uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach. I think we made the best decision possible given the circumstances, but a lot of what's going to happen next will depend on the responses of the two cities.

Alexis basically told me that if it was out my control, there was nothing to be gained by fretting over it. I guess that's the standard soldier's mentality. It's nice to know that whatever happens, Alexis will stand by me.

Of course, that also raises the question about how the rest of the Guild feels. Most of them are happy to be avoiding conflict between the two sides, but a few were actively supporting one of the factions over the other, so they might feel a little disgruntled.

Well, I'm not forcing anyone to stay on the Guild, so I suppose they can leave if they really want.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 7th of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

I had an encounter with Kujura early this morning. His words were polite, but his demeanour radiated suspicion and hostility.

I believe I'm familiar with the type. They believe any refusal to swear allegiance is equal to outright opposition and rebellion. In more private moments I must confess that I tend to feel that way about his Majesty as well, although I like to think I can rein that impulse in when the situation calls for it.

In any case, he stated that the Senatus would be dispatching their men into the Labyrinth soon and requested that we were not to get in their way. He also mentioned that many in the Senatus were viewing the Paragon Guild with hostility and suspicion at this moment so we had best be careful not to do anything that could upset. Of course, he also acknowledged that we were immensely popular with the townsfolk so they did not want to take more direct action against us.

The long and short it was that we had best tread more carefully. For my part I behaved in as conciliatory a manner as possible, but I honestly doubt that mattered much.

I elected not to mention this conversation to his Majesty when I met him later. It's not important enough to trouble him about it.

* * *

**Rossa**

So we're not going to support either side. I hope they take it the right way and don't go on about how we've betrayed their trust or anything, but I get the feeling that it's a pretty optimistic take on the situation, isn't it?

Especially since we'll probably be going to fight the Gatekeeper tomorrow. The Deep City isn't going to take well to that, no matter what we say about our wish to remain neutral. I was considering paying a visit to Angie today, but… well, I guess I was a little scared of what she might say to me. Do they even know about our choice yet? He might have chosen to keep the information private, but he could just as easily have decided to bar us from the City from now on.

Big Brother was pretty perturbed this morning. I guess that's to be expected. He's a stick-in-the-mud at the best of times and now he may be in danger of losing access to his research material. I know him well enough to stay well out of his way, of course. He just needs some time and a good book to cool himself off.

In the meantime, I've been slotted to join the group on tomorrow's expedition. I hope everything goes well.

* * *

**Sidney**

I guess the consequences of the choice Alexis made will become clearer in time, but right now the biggest one is the disappointment my parents expressed with our Guild not helping Armoroad out. I had to explain that the Guild was not beholden to either country, that it was its own separate entity and that remaining neutral was really the best bet for getting good relations for everyone involved in the long run.

I'm not sure they were entirely convinced by the explanation. I'm not sure _I_ was entirely convinced by the explanation. But I trust Alexis and Jules, and the others in the Guild. We won't mess this up.

Adrian and Pure were at the entrance to the Labyrinth during the afternoon. I think Pure was tossing rocks down into the chasm. We talked a bit about the future and what it might hold for us, and beneath the kid's snark I got the feeling he was genuinely scared. I mean, he's always frightened by all the monsters that dwell in the Labyrinth, but this time it was deeper. Like a real dread of what the future held.

I'm not sure what I could say to help him. I mean, the future's just as big a blank to me, too. Honestly, I think the greatest help was Adrian's enthusiasm about finding out what was waiting for them down there. Pure acted all annoyed like he always did, but I think he was encouraged by Adrian. If only a little.

Well, if I'm not going to be fighting on behalf of Armoroad, then I can fight on behalf of my friends.

* * *

**Atahualpa**

I believe that the Prince and his Knight handled the situation in as well a manner as could be expected.

That is not to say that it will definitely lead to less problems in the future, but to take such a stance because they believe it the right thing to do, that they cannot in good faith support either side, it is something to be praised.

Ahul, as a leader yourself, know that making hard decisions is something that you will have to do, and often. Let the wisdom of our forefathers guide you.

* * *

**Jared**

Well, we've managed to piss off both sides in the affair as we plunge headfirst into a battle with some ancient unknown evil lurking in the bottom of the ocean.

Wouldn't have it any other way.

Clay apparently loves the idea of giving the finger to both of the royals; she said that it'll show them not to try to boss us around. Of course the person who ultimately made the decision was a royal himself (and his knight) but I figured I didn't need to bring that up.

Relena's been pretty quiet about all this. I guess she feels that it's not really her place to talk about something like this.

Well, best stop writing and get to preparing the 'Mutt'. Heading out to sea for a bit tonight.


	75. Vs the Gatekeeper, Guardian of the Abyss

Entry Seventy Five

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 7th of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

Well, to no one's surprise, the Gatekeeper was still operational upon our approaching it at the bottom of the 3rd Stratum. They had apparently also neglected to inform it that we were not hostile. In any event, a battle ensued.

I suppose the biggest saving grace was that apparently it needed several vital seconds to begin its offensive (perhaps Deep Ones are slower, although I doubt it) which gave us ample time to avoid it's primary and strongest attack – several rays of energy that were powerful enough to bore their way through the cavern walls.

After seeing that its initial attempt to finish the battle quickly had failed, and that we had scattered, the Gatekeeper proceeded to separate its head from its body and both portions began to fight autonomously. That was definitely a bit of a surprise, and its attacks were constant enough to keep us from reforming our formation.

Fortunately the Gatekeeper's components suffered from a design flaw where apparently the head component cannot remain separated for too long. In any event, its movements became sluggish and it flew back to the main body to reconnect. Once they were a single unit, they proceeded with setting up the energy ray attack again. I'm not proud to say that I took the brunt of one of the blasts, but I was able to withstand it, especially with his Majesty's restorative spell placed on me to help mitigate the worst of the damage.

Ultimately the Gatekeeper's greatest weakness was both its predictability and inability to transition smoothly in its various modes of combat, giving us many openings to attack without fear of retaliation. It took a long time, but beyond a certain point the final outcome of the battle was not in doubt.

As we stood over the smoking ruin of the Giant's body I heard the sound of movement from the far wall, and it was only then that we noticed Olympia standing there silently. I do not know how long she had been there observing us, but when we noticed her presence she shook her head once and said that we had made a foolish decision.

Neither of us attempted to stop the other as we left the cavern. The battle with the Gatekeeper had exhausted us, so we retreated instead of attempting to push forward. There is always the possibility that the Deep City will take the time to barricade the path, but I doubt they would be able to do so by tomorrow, and assuming we can find a Submagnetic pole in the 4th Stratum, it will no longer be an issue.

Aside from our encounter with Olympia, the Deep City has been notably silent ever since we sent out our letters. I cannot help but wonder what they plan to do next.

* * *

**Sidney**

Monsters killed: Gatekeeper x 1  
Items Collected: Crushing Arm x 1, Giant's Core x 1, Clay Horn x 1, Magic Circuit x 1, Clay Plating x 1, Quake Leg x 1

The aftermath of the battle had a lot of scrap from the Gatekeeper scattered all over the place. Waste not, want not, I guess. I gathered up as much as I could (Zack helped me with that) and brought it back to Ms. Edie later. Got some pretty good cash out of it, so that's Guild finances handled for a while, I think.

Still, so far it's been three for three in terms of having some giant, powerful thing waiting for us at the bottom of a Stratum. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but I was there for all three of them. Of course, so were Jules and Alexis, but they're the leaders of the Guild, so I guess they have a stake in the whole thing.

I thought for sure Adrian would be waiting at the entrance when we got back, but according to Pure she went with her Master to the Bistro earlier on and she hasn't come back yet. Oh well, it's not that big a deal. Right now I just want to pass out on a bed.

* * *

**Jules**

I found Kujura waiting outside the Explorer's Guild on our way back from our battle with the Gatekeeper. Upon catching sight of me, the first thing out of his mouth was a word of thanks. When I asked what for, his justification was that even if we weren't explicitly aiding Armoroad, defeating the Gatekeeper had been a great help to them.

Well, I'm glad he's so amused by the current turn of events. In any case, he didn't linger long, but just before he left he mentioned that they would be marching into the Labyrinth soon.

I'm not sure what exactly is going to happen, but I get the feeling that it'll turn out badly soon enough.

In slightly happier news, apparently a lot of the stuff we salvaged from the Gatekeeper is worth a lot of money. Edie also assured us that she could use the materials to create new equipment. I wonder what will come of it.

Expenses, Supplies: 1, 600 en

Expenses, Equipment: 0 en

Expenses, Misc: 210 en

Income, Labyrinth Goods: 36, 420 en

Income, Sea Goods: 0 en

Income, Misc: 15 en

Total Profits: 35, 625 en

Total Current Funds: 47, 832 en

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Quiet

Master accepted another request from Missy today. Apparently a group of explorers have disappeared for a week in the 3rd Stratum. No one's heard of them, and scouting parties haven't been able to find the bodies. Apparently Missy knows one of the wives of the explorers and she's been asked to ask explorers to help with the search.

Honestly, with a week past there's really only one way this could have ended, and I guess the look on my face was apparent was Master accepted the offer. He didn't say much until we were leaving the bar, and then a single sentence.

"Sometimes all people really need is closure."

I guess that's true. And I guess that goes for me too. Closure…

In slightly happier news, I sat in on a training session where Master tried to teach Pure how to focus healing. It went about as well as could be expected.

**

* * *

**

**Miko**

The scent of war is in the air of this town. The troops are ready to march against a foe, although I am still unsure as to who or what it is they hope to face. Not that I care much. Just give me a foe to direct my blades against, and I am satisfied.

How long has it been since I last saw battle? And still… I am still unused to such idle days. I have never known anything but war. I have no life aside from battle. The Northern Seas… I had heard that all manner of battle awaited me here. I pray that such talk was not in jest.

* * *

**Yamato**

And so the armies of Armoroad prepare to march against a new foe. In watching them, I am not sure as to what I feel in my heart. I agree that the threat of the Deep Ones is something that cannot be left to the hands of others. But is open war truly the best way to handle this?

Delegates have come from the Senatus requesting my aid in directing the conflict against the Deep Ones. I refused, of course. That whelp Kujura should be able to handle an operation such as this. Still, I don't wonder if I should be doing something to contribute.

That Guild… Paragon. The one that started all this. Their exploits are the talk of the town and yet I don't know where they stand in all this. Perhaps it is time I paid them another visit.

* * *

Mode: ET -133

Startup…

Initiating selfscan program

Operating system activated

Modules AC 1, 2, operating 100 % Max Capacity

Modules LC 1, 2, operating 100% Max Capacity

Module H1, operating 100% Max Capacity

Module Mx operating 100% Max Capacity

Initiating Weapons Scan…

All Systems operating 100% Max Capacity

Initiating Operating System scan…

…

…

312 errors found

Initiating debug program

309 errors resolved

3 errors outstanding

Activate regardless? **Y**/N

Designate Unit Callsign: _


	76. The Fourth Stratum

Entry Seventy Six

* * *

**Jules**

We returned to the spot where we last left off today and after a bit of poking we were able to discover a passageway that led us into the Abyssal Shrine. I suppose it counts as the Fourth Stratum of the Labyrinth. (We also found a key lying discarded amongst some ash. I pocketed it in case; it might prove useful afterall.)

It was rather dark in the Shrine itself, and frankly we didn't make much progress in between Asmodeus pausing to take notes on every other mural we came across and Zeetha going on at length about the beasts we fought during our short excursion. However, we did locate a Submagnetic Pole so we can get easy access to the Shrine itself from now on.

For a supposed nest of the Deep Ones, the Shrine (or at least the area around the entrance) was surprisingly free of any of the creatures. I suppose the flying fish we encountered and fought could be considered a sort of low level grunt of their race, but otherwise we've yet to meet more of the mermaids. I wonder how good their detection systems are. Do they know that humans have entered the Shrine by now?

I didn't see much sign of Armoroad's troops there. At this point I'm not really sure what they're up to. I guess keeping out of each other's way is in everyone's best interests.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 8th of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

If there's any single thing I'm grateful for, it's that I'm more or less done with the infernal heat of the 3rd Stratum. That was a trial I do not care to repeat. By contrast, the Abyssal Shrine is in fact rather cold, although the armour I wear serves to keep me warm enough.

The architecture of the Shrine appeared to be superficially similar to that of the Deep City, which I suppose is only natural, considering that it was originally part of the city before it was overrun by the Deep Ones. I've considered asking the Deep City for a map of the place before it was lost – if nothing, it should aid exploration. But I doubt they'll be so amenable to my requests.

Scraps did not appear very hungry when I gave him his dinner tonight. I left his meal by the bedside anyway – he can eat whenever he's so inclined.

* * *

**Geoffrey**

Thought for the Day: The fragility of life gives it meaning.

Entered the Third Stratum. Alongside my apprentice and her friends.

On behest of a woman. The wife of one of a missing Guild.

Had apparently been attempting to pick some fruit for a local gourmand.

Found the supposed Pomona tree.

Along with several bloodstains.

After observation, several ants appeared, seeking to harvest the fruit.

We drove them off. And now I suppose we have a cause for the disappearances.

(X)

I believe Adrian wishes to seek vengeance on the ants for the sake of the fallen.

I cautioned her not to act on anger and impulse.

* * *

**Rossa**

Went to see Angie today. I guess I didn't want to put it off any longer even though I knew it was going to be really awkward and stuff.

Well, in a way, it wasn't really. She didn't seem to blame me or the Paragon Guild for what happened; she was more worried about what would happen now that the Gatekeeper was no longer operational. I tried asking her why they didn't just build a new one and she said that it wasn't that easy – lately Yggdrasil had been conserving more and more of its strength for something she wasn't sure about.

Then she noticed the bruises I'd gotten from the fight and started asking about why I hadn't gotten them patched up yet. I didn't want to tell her that I'd been so tired from yesterday's battle that I'd pretty much went to sleep until then, but in the end she just shook her head and told me to sit still while she treated my wounds.

We took a short walk together later (Angie couldn't be gone too long. She practically works around the clock!) and we ran into Big Brother. Apparently he found some new symbols in the Shrine area and wanted to research them in the Library. Come to think of it, I wonder if Angie knows anything about those sort of things?

* * *

**Rook**

Found Midori moping around the inn when I came back from the usual round of maintenance works on the St. Eris. She was pretty deep in her funk so I invited her to a duel, test to see how far we've come. It's been a while since we've done those, anyway. She appeared a little hesitant, but finally agreed.

I think I gave a pretty good accounting of myself, and in any case, the fight ended in a draw after a couple minutes. I think I did okay with getting Midori to lighten up if only a little – she was smiling after we were done. You could tell she was surprised when I was able to handle her splitting into two.

Had dinner together afterwards. Seemed like she was thinking about something but wasn't that comfortable talking about it yet. Guess that's just her style.

* * *

**Miko**

Rejected. But why? They claim it is because I lack the discipline necessary to fight alongside them. I admit I'm not familiar with the military customs of a nation such as this, but surely that should be secondary to my skills with a blade.

I could leave this town, seek battle in foreign lands. The winds of war blow from the West, and much blood will be spilled there soon. But perhaps I could stand to remain here and inquire as to other avenues for a while longer. I hear that there are others heading into the depths to challenge those who live within. Perhaps they might be more amenable to allowing me to aid them in battle.


	77. New Recruits VII

Entry Seventy Seven

* * *

**Alexis**

The old man who visited our Guild before returned again this morning, apparently with an offer to join up with the Paragon Guild. Preliminary enquiries placed him as a former general of Armoroad. When I inquired about his not joining up with the expeditionary force, he replied that he wanted to understand the nature of their foe from his own perspective. I suppose that's as valid a reason as any.

We also had a young swordswoman who wished to enter our Guild. Normally I'd have turned her away like all the other recent claimants, but the way she carried herself tells me that she's seen combat before. A little too much of it, maybe, if her apparent inability to relax is any indication.

In any case, we have two more members entering the Paragon Guild.

Master Yamato is a retired General of Armoroad, having participated in most of Armoroad's naval campaigns (apparently Armoroad uses army ranking terminology for their Naval Corps. Curious.) before retirement. Has some skill with a blade, but his true forte lies in reading the flow of battle and his commands. I believe his Majesty could stand to learn a thing or two from him. There have also been several disquieting rumours about him, but thus far I've been unable to substantiate them. He appears content to defer to his Majesty as far as authority goes, so I don't expect we'll have much trouble with him in the Guild. His experience in combat and command should prove a valuable addition as we proceed.

As for the other entrant, Miko Miyazaki apparently serves primarily as a warrior. She's skilled in some sort of twin blade style. I received a brief demonstration and I have to say that it appears to be an exceptionally violent school of combat. In any case, her martial prowess is not in doubt. I'm more worried about her as a character. She appears withdrawn, socially awkward, and seems to understand little of anything that does not have to do with combat. After I accepted her entrance into the Guild she simply found a bench and sat there, staring at nothing. When I asked her if anything was the matter she simply shook her head and told me that she was ready and waiting for the next time they would enter combat.

His Majesty left early this morning with Rook for a fishing trip. I hope he returns soon. As leader of the Guild he'll need to be informed of our new additions; I should probably let him process the current batch of paperwork as well.

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Angry

I couldn't just sit still, not when apparently a bunch of people had just gotten killed by ants in the Labyrinth. And I know Master's warning me not to act in anger and all that, but it's not as if we can just let a threat like that be idle, right? Right.

So I got Midori and Zack with me to do a bit of scouting in the Third Stratum. More ants came by to pick those fruits, and we followed them to a crack in the wall. That _should_ be where the nest is, I guess. Along with their leader. Queen. Thing.

Then we got ambushed by a swarm of ants and fought our way out of there. I guess I'll put together a team to go clear out the ant nest. Pure probably won't be able to hack it in there – but I guess Sidney might be interested. I'll ask her later when I see her.

* * *

**Sidney**

Monsters Defeated: Swordfish x 3, Aplysiomorpha x 4

Items Collected: Swordfish Skin x 2, Swordfish Fin x 1, Staunch Feeler x 3

Went to pay a visit to the Fourth Stratum with Zeetha, Melina and Wooster. Meline wanted to see if there was anything in the shrine worth collecting – she's theorized that the ruins should hold all sorts of ores and metals that she could salvage – not to mention all the plants that would have grown up in the century between anyone having last seen the shrine. Funnily enough, there weren't a whole lot of plants growing around. Maybe there's some magic keeping all of them out.

Anyway, we walked a bit down a long corridor before we came to a metal gate. There didn't appear to be any switch for moving the gate close, so after poking around a bit we gave up and headed back. If we can't find a control mechanism for the gate we'll probably have to use explosives or something to blast through any more barriers like that (and I bet Tinker would be ecstatic and the prospect). Still, that's a little in the future.

When I got back to the inn Pure and Adrian were apparently in an argument about something that Pure apparently considered a really awful idea. I managed to dig out that Adrian wanted to go clear the ant nest in the 3rd Stratum (which Pure didn't really mind, even if he felt it was unnecessary) and that she wanted to get it done by tomorrow (which is the part he objected to). Also she doesn't want Master Geoffrey to know about it for some reason. The fight ended with Pure throwing up his hands and storming out, and after a couple of moments Adrian asked me if I would be willing to help her.

I could have tried to dissuade her, I guess. But in the end I said yes. If she's going to do something reckless the least I could do is make sure I've got her back.

Also, we've had some newcomers to the Guild today. It's been a while since that happened. I tried talking to the girl but she seemed a little… confused by my actions. Oh well, I can always try again later.

* * *

**Asmodeus**

Well, my research has borne some fruit. Those statuettes we found yesterday in the Shrine are apparently control mechanisms of some kind. Unfortunately the only records we have of them are fragmented enough that we don't know exactly what they're trying to tell us. As far as we can tell they were made for the purpose of caging something. Deep Ones, perhaps?

Unfortunately I've not had the same luck with trying to decipher the murals on the walls of the Shrine. They've been damaged, of course, but they are mostly legible enough for me to attempt to match them with the records found in the Deep Library. Unfortunately, they don't appear to match up very well.

I suppose an alternative explanation would be that someone else has been changing the murals over the years, although that raises the question of who would wish to do something like that.

Horoscope: Beware the freed savages.

* * *

**Yamato**

Well, I've found access into the Paragon Guild, now. The knight Alexis appears to have a good enough head on her shoulders, although she's a little soft-hearted for a knight.

I look forward to our partnership being a fruitful one. In the meantime, I've received word from the Senatus that Kujura has apparently reached the Abyssal Shrine by now. That fool had better not do anything reckless.


	78. Vs the Wicked Queen of the Swarm

Entry Seventy Eight

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Exhausted

Ugh. Tried leaving early in the morning when I thought Master wouldn't notice.

He was waiting at the Submagnetic Pole for me and the others. Figured. He said that I was old enough to make my own decisions and that he wouldn't try to stop me, but he wasn't going to let me go without him backing me up either.

I didn't tell him thanks at the time, and I guess I kinda regret that, but I was a little annoyed that he'd seen through me so easily so I just huffed and mumbled 'Whatever,' before we headed down to the caverns.

So we followed the trail back to the crack in the wall that led to the ant's nest. The place inside was crawling with them, so naturally I figured we'd hit the jackpot, and we begin wading into them. They took a lot more killing than I thought they would, and it was a good thing that Master was there to keep the rest of us fighting fit.

Anyway, long story short, we ended up finding the chamber that housed their queen. After a bit of deliberation we decided that we'd come so far, we might as well finish the job and make sure the ants wouldn't remain as an effective threat in the area.

Boy were we in for a shock. Aside from the Queen being a good deal bigger and uglier than any of her children, her chamber was positively stuffed with more of her brood crawling about the place. None of us needed to be told to focus only on the Queen – she was the lynchpin holding everything together, after all.

Gotta say that I wasn't expecting her to scoop up one of her ants and to throw it at us. I barely dodged in time, but Sidney got smacked full in stomach and _then_ she had to deal with a wounded and severely pissed off ant in her face. I helped her kill it ASAP and then we got down to the business of killing the queen.

The new girl… Miko? She'd insisted on coming along and I wasn't really sure about how she'd fare with this being her first taste of the Labyrinth, but she charged straight into the fray without any seeming concern for herself. I always heard that using two swords at the same time was a really dangerous method of fighting, but the way she fought, it was almost like dancing.

Very brutal, very bloody dancing.

Anyway, in between the Ant Queen throwing her own brood at us and said brood trying to bite our limbs off every second we were taking a whole lot of damage in there. In the end it came down to one outlasting the other, and without Master there we'd never have managed that.

Near the tail end of the fight I took a nasty blow to the head from one of her forelegs. They were more like giant hammers the way she wielded them. I don't remember much, except that I somehow kept myself on my feet and kept hammering away at the Queen. My fists weren't doing all that much on their own – not against her exoskeleton anyway – but setting them on fire seemed to do a good job of breaking through her armour plating.

When she finally collapsed, I kinda stumbled backwards and woulda fallen over if Master hadn't caught me. I still feel a bit faint as I write this. Pure stopped by for a visit (and to bring me some sunfruit juice), and he asked me how I was. I just chuckled and told him to be out of bed early tomorrow for our training session.

I'll have to remember to find a way to say thanks to Master later.

* * *

**Miko**

It's been so long since my blades have had a chance to sing! The fight today was sublime. The heat, the intensity of the battle, the fearsome strength and numbers of our foe, the camaraderie and teamwork of the battlefield!

I didn't realize how much I missed it until I had the chance to experience it again.

Others in the group I fought with obviously know each other well; they were able to cover for each other with startling efficiency. I must admit I felt somewhat out of place in their group, but that is natural.

It will pass in time.

It must.

* * *

**Sidney**

Monsters Defeated: Wicked Queen x 1, Killer Ant x 6, Guardian Ant x 7, Pomona Taker x 4, Attendant x 5

Items Collected: Execution Claw x 1, Execution Jaw x 1, Black Fragment x 4, Red Fragment x 6, Sturdy Timber x 3

Ugh. Today's fight really came down to the wire at points. I didn't expect the Ant Queen to start sacrificing its own children so readily when we threatened it. And really, I doubt they made [i]that[/i] good missiles to throw at us.

Well, in the end we helped put it down and the rest of the ants went crazy for a bit. I think the threat of ants in the Labyrinth should have lessened considerably, so, uh, good job all around.

I had a few quiet minutes with Master Geoffrey later while I was swapping out the launcher mechanism on my bow, talking a bit about Adrian. Apparently he's been her teacher since she was an infant. I wondered about her parents, but Geoffrey told me that she didn't like people talking about it.

I guess I shouldn't bring it up around her?

* * *

**Melina**

Had another cup of tea with Ms. Edie today (Her blends are positively fabulous!). She was complaining about how soldiers from the Senatus never bother to harvest objects from the Labyrinth so there's a whole lot of exploring going on that she isn't getting any materials to work with on. I guess part of the reason she's huffy about that is that she was one of the suppliers for the army's equipment.

Our little chat ended with me promising her to pick up the slack for what the soldiers aren't doing for her. It's good timing, I guess. I'm scheduled for a jaunt with Pure and some guards tomorrow. I hope we can find a spot to harvest stuff. If worst comes to worst, the beasts of the Labyrinth should have plenty of material to work with.

* * *

**Rossa**

Came down with a bit of a cough today, so I thought I'd pop by Angie and ask for a bit of medicine. I would have gone to the doctors in Armoroad, but, well, the Deep City has better technology, doesn't it?

Anyway, after Angie gave me a quick check up, she called an Yggdroid over and told it to help prepare the medicine. I guess that's not too unusual in itself – seeing an Yggdroid in the Deep City, I mean. But this one seemed a lot more animated than the others – even Olympia, who's the most… I dunno, natural-behaving of the Yggdroids? She's pretty reserved in comparison.

We had a couple of moments to ourselves while it worked, and it told me that its name was Rocket. Funny, I thought most Yggdroids were referred to by alphanumeric designations, not names. Anyway, it seemed really interested in what the world 'up there' was like, and he was asking about the 'Great Daystar' and if it was real. It was actually kinda funny. In the end, I agreed to bring him to the surface soon and let him look around the place. Angie couldn't go on the date we agreed on, but she said not worry, and to let Rocket enjoy himself.

This is going to be great!

* * *

**Geoffrey**

Thought for the Day: Aid is sometimes required, even if it is not desired.

I am glad to have aided Adrian today.

But I do not believe she has been able to put aside the rage in her heart just yet.

Perhaps I should schedule more meditation sessions with her.

Alternatively, she should learn from spending time with her friends.

It has been a long time since I felt unsure in the proper way to direct Adrian in life.

I can only ask for Justinian and Kihel's guidance to be with me.

And with their daughter.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 10th of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

Asmodeus will be sent with Pure and Melina into the Abyssal Shrine tomorrow. He's made a theory of some kind linking the presence of the barred gates with that odd statue we saw near the entrance. Time will tell if anything comes of it.

I can't help but wonder how much progress the Armoroad army has made. I know it's not a race, but I don't believe that letting them get too far ahead of us would be a good thing for anyone involved. I wonder if there's some way to get a flow of information on the army's workings.

That may just be a pipe dream of course.


	79. This and That XI

Entry Seventy Nine

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 11th of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

We've managed to ascertain that there is indeed a link between the tiny statues and the barred doors in the Shrine; they work to open the doors when they are pressed. Unfortunately, we still do not know what triggers the doors being closed – sometimes they activate, and sometimes not. Then again, we did not have much time to do a proper investigation.

We've also discovered what the elaborate system of barred doors were apparently constructed for – great beasts are trapped in rooms, sealed off by the doors. We passed by one of those rooms and the beast within hurled itself at us, but the door was shut at the time and we were not forced into a fight.

Still, that would appear to confirm the theory that there are living, intelligent beings in the area – they would the ones who sealed up the beasts. However, we still have not caught sight of any of the supposed Deep Ones. We merely advanced far enough for Melissa and Pure to harvest some materials before retreating for the day.

More bad news awaited me on our return to Armoroad – Adrian's apparently not going to be fit for battle the next couple of days. Something about taking a blow to the head from a giant ant that left her with a concussion. I'll have to review the reports in more detail later.

Jared came back in from the ocean this evening with some fresh fish in stock. He gave some to me to feed Scraps. I hope he appreciates it.

* * *

**Jared**

Got some whispers on the wind that Sheba's planning for excursions to try to reach the Northern Continent. Not sure how effective that's going to be, when the currents there are even more insane than what we've got around Armoroad. Still, the seas aren't going to be any calmer soon, so I guess you'd give it the old fisherman's try.

Took a trip out around the Geomagnetic pole we discovered today. I didn't bring Relena along because… eh. It's a bit close to Sheba for comfort. Caught some beauts out there, especially a bunch of Armoured Shrimp. Maybe we can have them for supper or something.

* * *

**Melina**

The Shrine's really dark and creepy, and I have to admit that I kinda screamed a little when that giant monster leapt at us from its cage. At least the bars were sturdy enough to hold it, so we didn't have to fight the thing. I found a few plants growing further in and we managed to harvest those.

When I brought them in to Ms. Edie she scratched her head and told me that she wasn't really sure what she could do with those kind of plants, since she'd never seen them before. She seemed to take it as a challenge, though, and told me to check back in in a few days where she'd definitely have something made from the things we'd brought in. I guess she's confident in the work of her artisans.

In any case, she paid us a pretty high price for the goods. I guess value comes with rarity. Now, I think I'd like a nice hot cup of tea to soothe myself. Come to think of it, I should have asked Ms. Edie if she had any good stock come in from her home country. She's always ordering more of that stuff.

* * *

**Pure**

Today's Profit: 1204 en

Didn't make a half bad sum today. Spent a lot of time more worried about Adrian though. I'd gotten up in the morning for our training, only to be told by Master Geoffrey that she was going to be bedridden for the next few days. Apparently she'd taken a nasty one to the head yesterday.

I went and visited her after the day's work (almost forgot to bring her the sunfruit juice, too) and she still looked prett woozy and out of it. There were also some complaints about her head feeling 'light' although I'm not really sure what that means.

Anyway, we made some small talk, and although I didn't bring it up since I thought it would be a sore topic, we kinda steered into the topic of talking about injuries and such. I mean, I've made a job out of surviving trips into the Labyrinth, so it's a given I'm supposed to be good at staying away from getting hit, but I've taken my fair share of wounds.

Now that I think about it, most of them appear to have come from my time spent in the Paragon Guild. Funny, that.

As for Adrian, she's always up and front in any given scrap, and I guess that comes with the requisite number of knocks. Like the time she got gored by the tusks of those walrus things – High Onneps, that's what they're called – there's still a nasty scar on her stomach, along with dozens of faded ones all across her body. She told me she considered every last one of them a badge of pride.

Gotta be honest, I'm not sure how that works. I mean, if you could win fights [i]without[/i] ever getting hurt, wouldn't that be more prideworthy? But she was still a little out of it, and I didn't want to agitate her, so I just nodded and let it go.

* * *

**Clay**

Relena was looking a little bored this afternoon, what with Jared having got on a boat and headed out to snag some fish, so I went and had a little chat with her, kinda sorta dragged her into a couple of pubs I knew (mainly because they were the places that were open throughout the day).

We got to swapping stories about where we learned how to fight the way we did. Apparently Sheba employs a group of 'Smoke Knights' who're based around stealth, speed and agility. Mostly they stick to undercover missions. I pointed out that Relena never seemed much for stealth, and she chuckled and pointed out that she wasn't on a mission.

As for myself, well I told her about the sort of stuff you'd learn when fighting for your life in the arena. I didn't want to come off like I was boasting, but I'd be the first to say that I'm pretty sure of my ability in a fight.

Well, that's mostly how I spent my day. Chatting.

It felt nice.

* * *

**Rossa**

I'll be bringing Rocket to the surface tomorrow! I'm so excited to see how he'll react to everything I show him. And I can't wait to see Big Brother's reaction to him.

This'll be great!


	80. Training Session VII

Entry Eighty

* * *

**Pure**

Today's profit: 73 en

Adrian still wasn't feeling well enough to get out of bed today, so Master Geoffrey took me for a lesson instead. We focused more on guiding the 'chakra flow' of our body, whatever that means. I'm not really sure I got it, but it was a pretty relaxed way to spend a couple of hours. Compared to one of Adrian's training sessions, anyway.

At the end of it… I _think_ I made some progress. I can't exactly heal bleeding the way Master Geoffrey does, but after a while I think became a bit more… I dunno, aware. There was something moving through my body, and if I focused I could channel that movement and steady it or something. I felt a lot more refreshed and alert after that. Guess it'll be handy for Adrian's more standard sessions.

Ran into Sidney on the way back to the inn. She was beaming, and I took the couple of seconds to ask her why. Turns out she'd developed some kind of delayed action arrow round that takes some time to set up but it'll hit extra hard when it does go off. She was really proud of it, too.

Everyone's getting stronger in their own ways, I guess.

* * *

**Miko**

Harder. Faster. Stronger.

Days of idleness are still alien to me. A tight system of schedules and timetables decides when members of this Guild are to rest, and when they are to venture into the dungeons in search of battle. I don't need such rest, but the leaders of the Guild are insistent, both that everyone gets an equal share in the duties, and that no one overextend themselves.

In that case, training and this journal are all that are left to me for such time. I rose before the sun and began to go through my usual training routine when I spotted a shadow amidst the trees of the outskirts of the town.

As I approached it, it showed itself to be one of my fellow Guild members, Midori. The exertion and sweat across her face showed that she had been going through her own practices for quite some time before my arrival.

I had no reason to begin a conversation with her, so I merely went about my own business while she continued hers. She had apparently been on the finishing end of her own session, and completed it shortly after I had arrived. However, she did not return to the town, but sat by a nearby tree to observe me.

I have to confess to feeling awkward to be encountered with such behaviour – I really am not used to having others express such… such interest in what I do. Nevertheless, I kept my composure. If such behaviour is ordinary for her and the others, then I should do my best to blend in after all.

When I had finished and started to return to the town proper for a short break and breakfast, Midori piped up to tell me that my combat style was incredibly graceful, and to ask where I had studied the art of swordplay. I saw no reason to lie to her and simply told her that I had never studied under any school, and had picked up everything I know about combat on the fields of battle.

She seemed surprise by that, and looked as if she wanted to speak further, but remained silent, at least until we re-entered the city limits. Then she turned to me again and asked if I would like to eat breakfast with her, claiming that she knew several good eateries.

I had, of course, planned to consume a simple and nutritious meal, but after a few moments hesitation, I agreed to her request. I am still unsure if that was the right thing to do; for the life of me I could not find anything to speak about during our meal. I have to say that Midori did not appear particularly perturbed by my silence, though. In fact, at the end of it she asked if we could meet again sometime.

I have to admit to not understanding her at all.

* * *

**Rossa**

Well. Uh, Rocket's trip to Armoroad today… didn't go as well as it could have.

I guess I should have listened to Big Brother when he pointed out that a robot walking through the towns would have caused a bit of a stir. But I thought people would get used to it, since the Labyrinth calls all sorts of types of people to the place.

Anyway, when we emerged into the sunlight, well, it got real quiet. No one really _acted_ against us, but a hush would always spread no matter where we went to – the town square, the restaurants, the museum, it didn't matter. No one knew how to react to Yggdroids, so they mostly just stared.

That sucked the fun out of, well, _everything_. I'm not even sure why I soldiered through everything and I tried to act normal. I guess I was sorta hoping that we'd run into someone, _anyone_ who'd react to him normally. But we didn't.

I was feeling pretty rotten by the time I completed the tour of the town, ending up in the inn where I stayed. As it turned out, Rook, Big Brother and Princess Juliana where there at that moment. When they glanced up and saw me being followed by Rocket, there were a couple of raised eyebrows, but they actually _talked_ to him. Rook seemed pretty laid back about the whole thing, Big Brother was fascinated with how Rocket worked, as usual, and Princess Juliana just seemed to think that a walking robot was perfectly marvellous. That cheered me up a little, but later I had to apologize to Rocket for having gotten such an awful reception.

He told me that it was no problem, and that he had fun the whole day. I can't read emotions when it's behind a blank wall of steel, but… he was telling the truth, I think. I hope.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 12th of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

I received a rather odd request from Olympia upon checking our mail today. It's a request of some sort, involving hunting down some sort of… renegade within the Deep City. That appeared straightforward enough, but the more immediate question would be why she would specifically request the Paragon Guild's aid in this affair.

I've scheduled a meeting between his Majesty and Olympia early tomorrow, so we can ask her some questions about this strange turn of affairs. I can't shake my feeling of dread about this whole affair, though.

In other news, Clay decided to challenge me to a friendly duel to see which of us is the better in straight combat. I had my reservations about accepting, but in the end I determined that it would be of help in improving our combat capabilities.

The match's supposed to occur in the evening. I believe I'd best go and get myself ready.


	81. Unexpected Encounters

Entry Eighty One

* * *

**Jules**

Well, we've had our first encounter with actual Deep Ones today. I'd led Rook, Midori, Atahualpa and Asmodeus into the Shrine in order to attempt to find a way deeper. In that particular we… well, failed. We did run into a large number of dead Armoroad soldiers, though. I don't want to think of the circumstances which would cause the soldiers of Armoroad to leave their men behind as they retreat instead of bringing them back for burial.

Anyway, it was while we were investigating one of the dead soldier's bodies that the Deep Ones attacked us. Initially I feared the worst, but there were only three of them, so we had them outnumbered. That's not to say it was _easy_ – the opponent I faced was easily my equal in swordplay – but we were able to slay them without receiving undue injury on our own end.

I brought the weapons of the defeated creatures back to Armoroad with us. If nothing else, we'll be able to sell them off as scrap. After discussing matters with Rook and Asmodeus, I'm pretty sure I know where the path deeper into the Shrine lies. With any luck, we can make our way there tomorrow to start moving in deeper. I'm a bit anxious to get a move on further into the Shrine.

Regarding the matter of arresting the individual in the Deep City, I've left that matter up to Alexis and Clay to handle. They should be able to handle themselves, and maybe this will allow them to get along a little better.

* * *

**Jared**

Hm. Apparently they've been stepping up exploration of the forest we discovered when taking on the Corotrangul. In a stunning display of bureaucratic creativity, they've decided to call it the Dakr Forest. I'd like to see the meeting that churned out that result, if only for the laughs.

Anyway, right now it's just whispers on the wind, but some of Sheba's finest that were exploring the place ran into trouble inside there. And by 'ran into trouble' I mean they were slaughtered almost to a man. The heads in Sheba've trying to cover that up, of course, but… well, when people disappear, it tends to get noticed, and people talk.

Speaking for myself, I can't say I have any real idea of what they're up to in there, but I will say that if it's another ferocious little beastie (or, well, a bunch of ferocious beasties), I'm more than willing to be part of the group that's going to go over there and punch it right on the snoot.

* * *

**Atahualpa**

I have heard that the Dark Forest brought death to many who approached it. This has not been confirmed, yet it would not surprise me in the least were it true.

I smelled death in that place when we first ventured there by accident. An unnatural rot pervaded the entire island, and I was glad to be free of the place when I left.

If the rumours of a slaughter prove true, then it means they ventured far too deep… or that the beast that dwells within is starting to grow aggressive.

* * *

**Alexus**

Entry Made: 13th of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

Today was a rather… unwelcome day, to be honest. His Majesty ordered me and Clay to work together with the intention of carrying out the request made by Olympia of the Deep City. Clay, as is her wont, spent a large portion of the mission griping about what a massive waste of time it was. I cannot say I did not share her sentiments, but it was a mission given to me by his Majesty (I suppose he had some idea of improving relations between the Deep City and our Guild.) and I would carry it out to best of my ability.

In the end, it ended up being something of a farcical chase through the city. In credit for Clay's work, she was fast enough to apprehend the suspect without much delay, and we turned him over to the Yggdroids with a sense of palpable relief. I'd thought we'd be able to leave, but Olympia appeared and asked that we accompany her to the man's house.

Once inside, Olympia found several items that she had apparently been looking for and began scanning them. I did not have much time to observe her before a soft voice asked if there was anything I needed.

It appears a humanoid Yggdroid much like Olympia dwelt within the house. Introductions were brief, and she did not appear the least bit perturbed by the news that her master had been arrested.

Something about her demeanour was rather unnerving. I was glad to leave the place, and gladder still to hear from his Majesty that we should be able to make progress deeper into the Shrine soon.

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Excited

Yes! I'll be able to get out of bed again come tomorrow! I can't wait for tomorrow to hurry up and get here!

Man, I've been getting sent to the infirmary a whole lot lately, huh? Guess it can't be helped. Pure visited today and told me that they'd had their first real run in with the Deep Ones. Now I've _gotta_ get better by tomorrow. There's no way I'm going to be missing out on a chance to face these guys!

* * *

**Clay**

Fucking hell. Wasted my whole morning hunting down some guy I don't even know and couldn't give a rat's ass about and then spent a good part of the afternoon at that loser's house dealing with his pet robot.

Why the hell did Olympia want us there anyway? Did she feel like bossing a couple of Guildmembers around or something? Shit, now I feel all fired up about her.

Hell with that. The Drunken Kraken should have opened by now. I'm going for a drink.


	82. Rescue

Entry Eighty Two

* * *

**Jules**

Located the fourteenth floor today, and saved Kujura's sorry behind in the process. All in all, not a bad job as far as our expeditions go.

Adrian joined us again after being deemed fit to take to the field by Master Geoffrey. She handled herself rather well out there, although on our way back she complained of some slight dizziness. I'd have told her not to overexert herself, but given that Master Geoffrey accompanied us on this particular trip I decided that I could leave discipline of his pupil to him.

Anyway, progress towards the fourteenth floor proceeded without much issues – we ran into multiple jail cells caging more of the great beasts, but they were sealed and so we didn't have to deal with more than their enraged howls.

Not that those howls didn't become extremely annoying a few minutes in, mind you.

Anyway, we found the stairway (and a crack in the wall that Tinker wasted no time in blowing up, which made for convenient shortcut back to the submagnetic pole) and headed down.

That's when things got hairy.

Turns out Kujura had been leading a group of men in the general area, and they'd had the misfortune to run into a squad of Deep Ones led by what I can only presume is one of their commanders. In any case, the squad was all but annihilated by the time we happened on the scene, and while Kujura was doing an admirable job at fending them off, his being forced to protect his wounded soldiers severely hampered his combat ability.

We joined the battle as soon as we saw it, with Adrian and I working together to hold off the giant Deep One while Master Geoffrey and Tinker tended to several of the wounded while Midori attempted to circle around and backstab it. The sword the creature wielded seemed unusually delicate, but the strength it possessed cannot be denied. When I parried one of the blows the shock travelled nearly all the way up my arm.

Furthermore, when Midori managed to plunge her dagger into the creature's neck it merely let out a cry of pain and knocked her to the floor with a blow of its arm. Apparently Deep One physiology is sufficiently different from us that a wound to the neck is not particularly incapacitating.

In any case we finally beat the stupid thing by just pummelling it until it fell to the floor and stopped moving. I believe Tinker's bombs were of great help to us in that endeavour. After the dust had settled Kujura nodded and told us that he was in our debt before leaving with his men. I suppose that's as much of a thank you as we could expect from him.

Anyway, a short poking around the area revealed the stairway to the fifteenth floor. I'm actually a little surprised the two of them were located so close to each other. I guess I've just gotten used to stairs that are at opposite ends of the Labyrinth floors. In any case, we should be discussing whether to properly explore the fourteenth floor or to make haste to reach deeper. We can decide that later, I guess.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 14th of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

His Majesty returned bearing good news today. I guess it's a good thing Labyrinth exploration is proceeding more or less on track. So far our initial encounters with the Deep Ones have ended up in our favour, although I'm not sanguine on us still getting off so lightly once the Deep Ones start pegging us as a serious threat.

On that note, I'll have to ensure that people in our Guild aren't still treating this as a sort of lark. Now that we're facing actual intelligent enemies in unknown numbers, we'll have to be ever more cautious about venturing into the Labyrinth.

Olympia also stopped by the Guild early in the afternoon. I must admit to being surprised to see her there, but with her cloak thrown around her body she looked passably human. Enough so that she fooled us when we first met her, as I recall. I believe I detected a hint of discomfort around her demeanour, although I'm at a loss as to the possible reason. In any case, she said that she wished to schedule a meeting with us concerning the events of yesterday.

I was as gracious as I could be, but honestly I believe the events of yesterday best forgotten. In any case, I agreed to a short conference tomorrow, and she departed shortly before I completed the administrative duties of the day, and then I left to check up on Scraps. He appeared lethargic, but then again that really isn't anything out of the ordinary.

* * *

**Rook**

Took our new hires out on a fishing trip today. It wasn't a half bad experience.

The old guy – Yamato – spent the first part of our trip mostly staring out at the sea with this contented smile on his face. I'll bet any money that there's a wealth of stories behind that face of his, but, well, I don't want to pry. Yet. If he's anything like the other old timers it'll take little more than a nudge before the dam of all his exploits burst out.

Miko, though… man, I dunno. She seemed to grasp the basic principle of catching fish to eat, but when it came to doing it for enjoyment (or just relaxing) she seemed to just shut down. No, more than that. She seemed to get lost, with no real idea of what it meant.

Midori was with me on this trip, and when I mentioned it to her she shook her head and told me to just give her time. I guess that's more than doable, but still. At least she's got a strong enough back to pull her weight with all the tasks. And she doesn't complain either.

Maybe I should invite her to the pub sometime. I wonder if she's ever gotten herself shitfaced before. I mean, you'd expect it from most soldiers, but her… I just don't know.

* * *

**Sidney**

Well, Adrian was in a good move upon coming back today. Apparently she fought one of the really tough Deep Ones and came out of it mostly unscratched. Guess it was a bit of a confidence boost for her.

Pure came out from his own harvesting run a while later complaining about how Clay and Zack ever want to run from monsters when they run into them and he always ends up getting wounded from stray attacks while the 'gung-ho meatheads' have their fun.

Anyway, we got to discussing our schedules and we found that we're all free a couple days from now, so we've decided to make a day of it and visit the Deep City together. This should be fun.

* * *

**Rossa**

I got a letter from Angie today asking to come visit her at the Twinkling Tavern tomorrow.

The only thing was that I got the letter after the sun had already set.

I know it's not true, but sometimes I wonder if the people in the Deep City work around the clock or something.

Guess I'll head down tomorrow.


	83. New Recruits VIII

Entry Eighty Three

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 15th of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

It's just come to my attention that his Majesty's birthday will be coming up soon. I doubt we'll be able to hold the sort of extravagant parties like back at home (and while we're on the subject, I have to wonder about the situation within the capital at this moment. I've not received any word about the situation between us and the Western Shelf, and I've been trying my best not to think about it in the first place.

That aside, we've also ended up with… well, I must confess I'm not sure I have the words to properly describe the situation. Suffice to say that I was not expecting two new recruits in the span of a single day all of a sudden. Especially as both of them are Yggdroids. One can only wonder what attempts to integrate them into our Guild will be like. I'm still unsure as to why his Majesty decided to accept them into the Guild over my strenuous objections, but the decision has been made and I must seek to follow his Majesty's decrees to the best of my ability.

(I still told him he was making a large mistake to his face, however. I do not believe he appreciated that.)

Rocket is an Yggdroid that had apparently been deemed unfit for military service in the Deep City Crops after being activated. Goddess alone knows what sort of mistakes go into a construct's production that would render him such, but he found employ in the Twinkling Tavern until an encounter with Rossa led to him wishing to explore more of the world. (I really [i]must[/i] remember to thank her for giving us this wonderful opportunity.) If nothing else, he was originally designed with combat specifications in mind, so he (it?) should be able to pull his own weight out there on the field.

AL7 is… I'm not sure _what_ her creator was thinking when he designed her, but she's built of the same metal as all the other Yggdroids, so I assume she'll have some base level of durability. Olympia left her at our Guild, saying that there was simply nowhere else for her to go. I half suspect she roped us into this whole mess so she could have a convenient spot to dump her refuse after the whole affair went down. In any case, she took me and his Majesty aside quietly to plead her case, and his Majesty ended up acceding to the request. She's extremely quiet and… well, she doesn't seem to be doing much. Not that it helps any, what with how conspicuous she is in the inn.

Olympia also left a shard of… something with us as 'thanks' for our help. Apparently it 'contains the essence of the stars'. I suppose it's the thought that counts. (Another possibility is that she's just using us as a convenient method for unloading more rubbish, but I prefer not to think about that.)

I had better stop writing now. I've several administrative duties to look to.

* * *

**Rossa**

Wow! Rocket's part of our Guild now! I was so surprised when Angie came up to me and asked if Rocket could join, and I, well, how could I say no?

Unfortunately, Ms. Eurydice really didn't seem very keen on the whole idea, and it took Prince Jules a while to convince her to give Rocket a chance. I think what convinced her was Rocket demonstrating his fighting skills, after which she gave in with a tired-sounding 'All right'. After that I had to help him chase down the arms he'd fired out and help him reattach them, but I was so glad that I didn't care.

Of course the first thing I did was to go show him around the place, and to introduce him to the others. Most of them seemed to treat him well (others like Rook had met him before so there was no trouble there). I remember Midori looking at him a bit warily, but otherwise there weren't any hiccups. I'm glad they didn't act like the others in the village the other day.

And then later in the day we learnt we were getting _another_ Yggdroid Guildmember! Well, when it rains it pours. I gotta say the other one was a little offputting, though. She mostly just stood there and… well, stared.

Well, can't keep writing forever. Ms. Eurydice wants to see how well Rocket fares in the field soon, so I'm going to have to go show him the ropes. I asked Big Brother to come help me too. It's also his chance to see a Yggdroid up close and in action. I bet he'll be salivating at the thought!

Not literally, though. That would just be ew.

* * *

**Yamato**

I heard that we'd received new applicants to our Guild today, but when I went to check on who they were, I was confronted with a pair of the Deep City's Yggdroids.

I won't deny that these automatons have strength beyond that of most humans, but I really must wonder at so readily including them in our Guild. That the Deep City, so obviously hostile to any encroachment of Armoroad on what it considers our territory, should allow two of their automatons to enter the Paragon Guild strikes me as a most curious affair. I suppose it is possible that they wished to support the Paragon's Guild claim of being a nonpartisan organization in face of steadily worsening relationships, but still. I can't help but be slightly suspicious.

The more animated one of the pair at least appears to be genuinely enjoying himself in his time, here, although who can tell how much of that personality is his own and how much has been programmed into him. The other, however, is mostly silent and expressionless. Definitely one I should keep an eye on.

I heard Eurydice was also wary of allowing the Yggdroids into our Guild, but the prince overruled her. Smart girl.

* * *

**Jules**

Now Eurydice is mad at me. Great.

I just thought they'd be useful additions to the Guild. After all, it's not every day you have robots offering to join up, is it? If nothing else, their bodies being made of metal should allow them to do things the rest of us can't do.

Oh well, she'll come around soon enough. Sooner if I bribe her with some meat buns, I'd wager.

In other news, I had a talk with Lady Juliana. She's been rather withdrawn the past few days, so when I ran into her at the pub by herself I took the opportunity of asking her if anything was the matter.

According to her Stagarad's been running into political troubles of late, and the news only reached her recently. While she's been keeping up with the news as best she can, she's still worried about her father and the others back at the capital.

Well, I can't say I don't know the feeling, but I had a rather uncomfortable feeling that the source of Stagarad's problems had a lot to do with the Empire so I didn't say much of anything more substantial than 'well that sucks'. I _also_ have the uncomfortable feeling that my siblings are deliberately writing around something whenever I get letters from home.

I'm going to have to ask Alexis about it pretty soon.


	84. This and That XII

Entry Eighty Four

* * *

**Pure**

Today's Profit: 478 en

Adrian's training session consisted of bringing me into the depths of the 3rd Stratum, sitting me down in a spot she was 'pretty sure' was free of monsters, and telling me to meditate until I was at peace. When I asked her when I would know that I was at peace, her answer was that when I no longer cared about the heat.

I feel safe in saying that absolutely no progress in that particular front was made today.

Upon my return to Armoroad, I was accosted by Melina. Apparently Alexis has set a task for us to help prepare a birthday party for _His_ _Majesty_. Apparently we got roped in because we know Armoroad well enough to get all the stuff we'd need. At least Alexis' agreed to pay us a bonus… if we did a good job.

I'm not even sure where to begin with something like that, to be honest. I guess, maybe hire a room or something to celebrate it in?

I think I'll go get Sidney to help us out with this. She's from Armoroad too, and she should have some of the connections with the upper class to find something fancy enough for a prince.

* * *

**Jared**

Often times you're walking through life without a care in the world when something just comes out of nowhere and blindsides you hard enough to make your head spin. Sometimes they're good, and sometimes they're bad. You know how it is.

Relena's been offered a full pardon. Apparently they caught the bastard who actually did the murder she ended up getting framed for. The letter they sent invited her back to the city… she can accept another commission to the Smoke Knights if she wishes.

Goes without saying that this was a bit of a lot for Relena to take in. Had a long talk with her, and she came to the decision that she wants to go back to accept their apology, if nothing else. I told her that if I were her, I'd just let 'em rot and be done with it. Unless she really wants to go back to the old life she had, anyway.

Later when we told Clay about it she muttered that it was probably a trap of some kind. I dunno, it just doesn't seem like the way they'd work if that's the case. Well, we've still got time to sleep on it and think up what else to do.

* * *

**Jules**

Kujura came by earlier today. Said he wanted to thank me on behalf of the men we saved in the Labyrinth the other day.

Well, the usual pleasantries followed, as you can guess. I told him that it was only natural that we help others in need and he just nodded slowly for a while before informing us that the offer to aid Armoroad was still valid. I refused, of course, but he appeared to accept that.

In any case, he left a gift with us, apparently as a token of thanks for what we did with saving his men. It's a bowl of some sort, and it's rather beautifully made. I suppose it must be of some value to him; I'll make sure to take good care of it.

When he was leaving he bumped into Master Yamato. I recall that they had a short conversation at that point, although I'm not sure what exactly it was that they talked about. All I know is that Master Yamato had a sour expression on his face after that incident.

Aside from that, we'll be moving into the Labyrinth tomorrow with those robots who decided to end up in our team. I hope we don't end up regretting their inclusion or anything, but I can't say I'm not interested in seeing how they do battle.

* * *

**Asmodeus**

Many of the murals we've discovered on the uppermost floor of the shrine appears to be a pictorial record of the history of Armoroad and (for a brief amount of time) the Deep City. I've yet to study the murals on the floor below this – hopefully I'll get to do it soon, but I can only wonder as to the secrets they will eventually reveal.

I've also marked seven sections of the walls that have been too badly damaged by time (or perhaps Deep One activity?) to properly decipher. I hope the Deep Library will be able to help me out with solving their riddles. Unfortunately, the amount of available time to spend there has been less than adequate of late. Perhaps I'll need to talk with Alexis about giving me more leeway with my research.

* * *

**Miko**

A challenge to a duel from the girl – Midori.

I accepted, of course. I would never turn down an opportunity to test my blades in combat.

I must admit to being surprised by how well she fought. While I was her better in terms of direct swordplay, she had an immense variety of tricks that made landing a blow on her difficult, such as her ability to split herself into multiple copies, each able to fight independently.

The arbitrator she'd brought along to observe – Rook – eventually declared the match a draw. I suppose I'll have to accept that outcome, although I am worried. She claims herself to be fairly young and inexperienced, yet she was able to fend off my assault. I… shall have to do better in the future. My blades are all I have; I can't afford to fall behind.

After the bout, Midori smiled at me and told me that it had been a fun match. I have to admit that I felt the thrill of battle and the fierce hunger of combat during our match, but somehow I doubt that was what she was talking about.

She invited me for a meal with her and Rook after the match. I accepted, but this time I had something to contribute – the discussion centred around the earlier duel and so I could offer my input on what mistakes we had made, and what we had done right.

I admit that it was a pleasant experience.


	85. Metal Boots

Entry Eighty Five

* * *

**Melian**

So, what sort of food does one prepare for a prince's birthday anyway? I asked Ms. Alexis a little about it and she admitted that she herself wasn't too sure. Apparently most of the traditional dishes that they prepare for the royalty in celebrations aren't available in Armoroad, or at least not without an exorbitant cost we can't really afford.

Oh well, I know some of the local caterers who should be able to whip up a great meal. Prince Jules likes seafood, doesn't he? There should be more than enough skilled seafood chefs I can hire to make him happy as far as food goes. I hope.

I talked to Ms. Sidney about finding a suitable place to host the party and she said she'd think about it. She seemed a little distracted, so I guess maybe I'll give her a gentle reminder a few days down the line.

Goodness, should I buy a present for Prince Jules? I mean, he's a Prince. What could I possibly get for him that he doesn't already have? I wonder if Pure also has the same concerns. Then again, he doesn't quite share the same mentality that I do.

I suppose I can pay a visit to Ms. Edie's and ask her if she has anything in stock that's really worth something. I'm not too optimistic, though.

* * *

**Rook**

Got word today that Relena's decided to head back to Sheba for a bit. Something about receiving a pardon or some other stuff. I can't say I know enough about her past to comment on what all this 'pardon' stuff is about, but she didn't look too happy. Something's conflicting in her, I can tell that much.

Now normally they'd just take the Mutt and I wouldn't get involved at all, but Jared's been acting cagey and later he came up to me and told me that he'd like it if I came along with them in the St. Eris, along with a couple others from the Guild. Just to be safe. He's already bringing along Clay and Tinker on his own ship, so he's really got to be worried about something.

I don't really like the sounds of all this, and I told him that it'd be in everyone's best interests that Alexis was informed about all this first. 'Course, she's still in a Labyrinth as of me writing this, but I should be able to talk to her tonight.

Which reminds me – Midori's down in Labyrinth alongside Alexis. And Rocket. He's been pretty easy to get along with so far, but I hope she doesn't feel too comfortable working alongside Yggdroids. Logically Rocket had nothing to do with, well, all the other unpleasantness from the Deep City, but logic and emotion don't always go so well together, and Midori's still kinda touchy.

Oh well, can't do much more than hope for the best.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 16th of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

I have to admit that I was presently surprised by the performance of the Yggdroid that accompanied us on our trip today. I should be a given that metal is tougher than human flesh, but the sheer durability of Rocket caught me by surprise. He was able to shrug off blows that would have taken any other human (including me) off their feet.

I… have to admit to feeling uneasy over Rocket's apparent ability to withstand so much punishment. It's essentially the same role I play on the field of battle, but there is every possibility of Rocket surpassing me in that regard, and without much apparent effort. It is… honestly not very pleasant to contemplate.

Regardless, we made decent progress into the fourteenth floor of the Labyrinth, running into another apparent commander of the Deep Ones further in. This one elected to use magic against us instead of brute strength, and by the end of the battle only Rocket and I were still standing. (It should be noted that Rocket appeared extremely concerned over Rossa's condition, which I suppose is not at all surprising.)

Upon return to Armoroad, I noticed Scraps appeared to be feeling some kind of mild discomfort. I could not discern anything that would cause be troubling him from a cursory examination, so I prepared his dinner and looked over his bed to ensure that it was adequately soft and warm.

That said, I'll also need to keep up to date on how preparations for his Majesty's birthday celebration is coming along. Just because we're in a foreign land is no reason to neglect propriety.

(X)

Rook came to me with Relena's story. I wish she could have told me herself, and I [i]also[/i] wish I'd gotten some earlier notice, considering that a full eight of our Guild will be departing for a minimum of three days.

I still gave my permission, of course. This is something I believe Relena has to do, and I don't suppose a large entourage will hurt.

* * *

**Clay**

Relena's all worried and tense about going back to Sheba a couple days from now. Don't see a reason for the bother, really. Don't see much a reason to go back, either.

But then again, if this helps Relena close a chapter on her past, then…

Hell, it's too complicated for my tastes. I'm going with her. I dunno if she'll like it, but I just don't feel like letting her go off on something like this on her own. Seems like a big enough deal to her that I'd want to be there.

Of course, her husband's gonna be there, too, but more doesn't hurt, I guess.

The whole situation's stupid anyway. So they accused her of murder and now they're all sorry. If those jackasses did their job right the first time she wouldn't have gone through all that crap. Wonder how they're gonna 'compensate' her for everything she lost during that time.

Bunch of assholes.

* * *

**Midori**

Rocket's a strong fighter, I have to admit. But everything about him rubs me the wrong way. His movement, his behaviour… it's all so unnatural and stiff.

At least he's on our side. Rossa appears really happy to have him. Good for her, I guess. I guess I'll just try to stay out of his way myself.

In other news, we've been running into more and more of the Deep Ones lately. They can put up a fight, sure, but they're not the world-ending threat the Abyssal King kept making them out to be. Seriously, what's he playing at?


	86. Troubling News

Entry Eighty Six

* * *

**Sidney**

We took that little trip to that Deep City today. It was mostly just hanging out, although there was some looking around by Pure and I for stuff that could help us with the Prince's birthday celebrations. Mostly about whether they could deliver decorations and food up to Armoroad. Most of the Deep City residents seemed a little cagey about bringing stuff up the surface, but they agreed in the end.

Other than that, we took a walk through what appeared to be an underground park, and I have to say that it was a lot like the second stratum, only without monsters trying to kill you every few steps. The underwater plants really are colourful compared to the surface. One of the Deep City residents invited us to try some kind of edible coral – it was pretty salty, and apparently it's really nutritious too.

The atmosphere of the whole place was pretty relaxed. Sometimes it gets difficult to remember that these guys have been alive for a hundred years or so and at war with the Deep Ones. I went to take a look at some tree-thing with purple leaves and when I got back Pure was arguing with Adrian about her taking too many risks. I seem to recall him citing her going off to fight that ant queen and getting bludgeoned on her head for her troubles. I'm not sure what that argument was about.

Our return to headquarters found the Guild pretty empty. I guess I'd forgotten that a lot of us were heading out to Sheba for some reason or other. Something about Relena having business there. Well, I hope whatever it is that's going on goes well for them.

Also, I asked mom and dad if there were any spots available to hold a big bash. I mean, one of the big ballrooms, maybe?

* * *

**Rook**

How do we get ourselves into these messes?

We'd just arrived at Sheba for Relena's little ceremony (held in an office away from prying eyes, of course), when we noticed another ship pulling in next to us, a Sheba military vessel if I don't miss my guess. It was _wrecked_. The main mast fell off a couple of minutes after it actually made port (damn near hit us too), and large chunks of the bow and stern had been torn right off.

We ended up being the closest ones on call, so we busied ourselves with helping get the wounded off the ship and into proper medical facilities. We'd stocked some medicines and we blew through them in a matter of minutes. Too bad Geoffrey hadn't elected to join us for this little trip.

In any case, after more help arrived, Relena, Jared and Clay headed off to whatever governmental building it is that deals with pardons and stuff like that, and the soldiers were herded off to the hospital.

Meantime, we got the story from one of the more… intact survivors. (I don't think anybody actually escaped being wounded, but the difference was whether you were still capable of walking under your own volition.) They had been ordered to map the Dark Forest, which hadn't been going all that well in the first place, but then they ran into some kind of beast that had more or less walked all over them. A full retreat to the ship had been ordered, but apparently whatever it was they ran afoul of was a vengeful bloke, and they'd suffered serious damage to the vessel before it decided to break off the attack.

Which would be all good and dandy if there wasn't a second detachment on the island that they'd lost contact with. And wouldn't you know it, we were the ones in the area with the ability to respond the fastest.

So now we're heading for the Dark Forest in the St. Eris. At least the wind's favourable. We brought along a doctor and his assistant for some emergency medical treatment of the soldiers should they need it, although after looking at those who made it back I'm not sure they could do a whole lot.

In any case, I'd best prepare for a battle.

* * *

**Asmodeus**

Made a brief excursion into the Labyrinth today alongside Rossa and others. We occupied our time with making a more conclusive map of the fourteenth floor, and stumbled upon some sort of strange trap involving moving statues and switches. In between the two of us we were able to disarm the trap without wasting much time in the process.

As we continued to further explore the fourteenth floor of the stratum, the layout of the area leads me to believe that it was originally an observation area of some sort. The central area's multiple entrances hint at an arena or perhaps a stage.

In any event, we also had the misfortune of encountering a large saurian creature near the entrance to the fifteenth floor. We succeeded in slaying the beast after a brief struggle, but the scent of blood was apparently attracting more of the creatures so we made our retreat from the place after that.

The Abyssal Shrine was originally under the control of the Deep City until it was lost to the Deep Ones (incidentally, we did not meet any in today's foray). I wonder if any of the Deep City's current denizens would be open to interviews concerning the nature and function of the various levels of the Abyssal Shrine.

Horoscope: Three heads shall mark a great peril.

Hm. Some multi-headed beast in the depths?

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 17th of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

Spent the morning attempting to make some sort of interaction with the AL1 Yggdroid. Results were unsatisfactory, to put it mildly. In between Olympia's reticent personality, Rocket's… enthusiasm and AL1's silence, I suspect that most Yggdroids have temperaments as variable as humans.

Our afternoon venture to the Labyrinth progressed relatively smoothly. At this point I believe we've mapped enough of the fourteenth floor that we can comfortably progress to the fifteenth without much worry.

Upon our return, his Majesty was waiting and asked me to join him for a short talk. Once we were alone, he inquired if there was anything that I thought he needed to know. I suppose he must have suspected that the situation back home has been rapidly deteriorating, although he probably is not yet aware of the true extent of the issue. In any case, I kept to my orders and lied to Jules. I hope I didn't betray any emotion on my face. This is for his own good, after all.

Upon returning to my quarters, I was confronted with a missive advising me that open war had finally broken out between the Holy Empire and the Western Shelf. I believe I simply sat and stared at the wall for several long minutes.

All in all, today has not been in a pleasant day.

* * *

**Juliana**

Oh, this is simply dreadful.

Today I received a message stating that open war with the Renaitian Empire has been declared. I know father's been resigned to this war occurring sooner or later for months before I left, but still, it's a rather large and unexpected shock.

I suppose it must have shown on my face because when Jules passed by he asked if anything was the matter. I explained that my country was now at war with the Empire and he seemed rather surprised by the news. At any rate he left after making a brief statement about that being a poor situation.

When I told Zack about the news he asked if we should quit the Guild and return to Stagarad. Wooster appeared in favour of this particular course of action, but of course he won't argue against anything I say. But to be honest, I've yet to be able to make my decision on that matter. I mean, there's the moral support I could offer, but otherwise I don't see how my returning home could actually help.

Maybe I could send Wooster back instead? He has the fighting ability to make a significant difference on the frontlines after all.


	87. Vs Manticore, Carrion Beast of the Wilds

Entry Eight Seven

* * *

**Tinker**

Still alive and ticking, that's good. Wasn't too sure about that for a good few minutes back there. But we made it out; that's a notch on the ol' belt, Dwayne, and no mistake.

After yesterday's news about how there were still some soldiers trapped on the island with the forest, we decided to go there and get them out as soon as we could. We didn't have much information to go on, but seeing as were the only ones available at the time... well, a doctor and his assistant tagged along, that's good too.

Ran into some trouble along the way – like living branches with spiked tongues. Not much of a threat except from some poison they carried, so we figured that couldn't be the big danger and pressed on.

Just about then we ended up running into the Manticore (mostly we followed the screams once we heard them), and I had a source of the smell that was all over the jungle. It was fighting the last remnants of the stranded soldier detachment, so of course we rushed in to help.

The creature was a lot faster than I'd thought it would be and a lot of my explosive shots went wide. Damn shame, too; a good clean hit would've sent it reeling and made it easy pickings for the rest of the gang.

Well, we won in the end, and the doctor guy managed to save the lives of the remaining soldiers, so all's well that ends well, I guess. Had a session with the troops back on the St. Eris, and it turns out they're originally an Armoroad detachment – I thought I recognized one of them and it turned out it was Ibahd, dour as ever. They had joined up with Sheba on a mapping exercise and it all went down the tubes after a while.

Time to start heading home, if I don't miss my guess.

* * *

**Zeetha**

Oh, how wonderful! I've actually documented the existence of a Manticore! They actually exist!

Well, we ended up killing it, and I believe that this was probably the chief predator of the forest – I doubt the Dark Forest could support more than one predator of this size, to be honest. I hope this doesn't have repercussions on this place down the line.

True to form, the creature's claws and teeth, though in line with what was expected for a beats of its size and ferocity, was not its primary method of attack. Instead its tail, imbued with a powerful poison and able to strike with unbelievable rapidity. In addition, there was some magic property in its cry that could turn men to stone – but it could ultimately be reversed by the concoctions of the doctor who joined us.

It really is a shame we had to kill the creature and couldn't simply drive it off, but it was set on either killing or being killed by us. I cut off its horn and a few pieces of its skin to take back for analysis – I'd have preferred to bring back the whole corpse but Rook told me we'd never be able to bring it back to the ship. Such a shame.

* * *

**Rook**

Well, that's one mess over and sorted with. We managed to reach the Dark Forest several hours past nightfall and then we spent several more very uncomfortable hour trekking (and cutting) our way through the thick undergrowth.

Got attacked by a trio of some weird living branch. I guess Zeetha might have been able to tell what they were, but in any event we fought 'em off without much difficulty. Yamato apparently got poisoned at one point, but you wouldn't be able to tell by the way he fought, and he only took the time to drink the antidote after the fighting had died off.

Right around then we heard more fighting sounds coming from further in, so we rushed there and ended up staring big ugly in the face. Gotta say I'm not surprised that thing sent an entire ship's crew packing – but props to the soldiers on the island holding out as long as they did.

Our arrival turned the tide, as it were, and after a few minutes of hard battle, we succeeded in putting the beast down. Yamato stepped in and took charge of the battle like it was nothing, told the doctor (think his name was Cooper) to get the badly wounded soldiers to the back, told which of us to flank the Manticore and when to attack and when to back off. I won't say he was _instrumental_ to us succeeding in slaying it, but he sure as heck helped a lot.

Anyway, we finally put the monster down, got all the soldiers back, and we're on our way back to hook up with Jared and Relena. Sun's high in the sky, and I could really use some rum right now.

* * *

**Melina**

Well, I've managed to place the orders with the various caterers. I got some information from Sidney about other supplies being sent from the Deep City too (I didn't even need to remind her), so I guess that's one front covered as far as preparation for Master Jules' birthday goes.

I also met Rocket reading a book in the inn lobby today. It looked really bizarre, this metal contraption just sitting there calmly, one leg folded over the other, holding the book up with some thin metal rod from its chest area. I tried talking to him, but, well, I didn't really find much to talk about. He asked me a few questions about my job, but I could tell crop planting and resource gathering didn't hold much interest for him.

Though, I've managed to convince Rocket to be my bodyguard for a Labyrinth trip tomorrow. We'll see how that goes.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 18th of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

Today has been an inordinately tiring day for me, but through it, I sensed that his Majesty's demeanour towards me has changed. He appeared more withdrawn than is normal for me.

I didn't press the matter, but at this point I believe that he's begun to suspect that I've been withholding information from him.

It's not much of a stretch to foresee a confrontation between the two of us sooner or later, but until then I still have a job to do. Labyrinth excursions are to continue, with another trip planned for tomorrow morn (hopefully the people we sent out yesterday should have made it back by then.)

* * *

**Zack**

Lady Juliana's spent a lot of today in her room. I know she's feeling unhappy with the latest turn of events, but more to the point, she's feeling conflicted about what she should do. I wish I could help her with this, but in the end I guess the decision is hers to make. She's also told me not to tell the others about this, she feels that until she comes to a decision we needn't cause undue alarm.

Wooster's being crotchety as usual. I guess he'd want to return to his unit in the event of a war like the one that's happening now.


	88. Training Session VIII

Entry Eighty Eight

* * *

**Rossa**

Ow. I'm still sore from today's Labyrinth trip.

Who thought it was a good idea to place pitfalls all over the place? One moment Alexis and Clay are walking along, weapons at the ready, then the next thing we know they've just vanished, then there's this thump and a yell of pain.

They weren't seriously injured (although they _could_ have been, I mean, what if one of them landed wrong?), but Clay was apparently in enough pain to fill the air with some very colourful words. I don't even know what half of them mean!

We couldn't risk splitting up the party, so we decided that the rest of us at the top had to jump down because they couldn't find an easy way to climb back up. I… didn't do so well when it came to my turn to jump. Even with Clay there to catch me, I still ended up getting banged around a bit, so yeah, I hurt a lot now.

The lower level of the place was mostly a straight corridor towards the staircases up (it's a good thing there were staircases, although we could have just used our Ariadne thread if worst came to worst, I guess), but even there we ran into some… um, armours? Knights? We thought it was some fellow explorers at first, actually, up until they tried to attack us. When we defeated they just collapsed and there was nothing inside the armour. It was pretty spooky.

When Big Brother saw me after I'd returned for the day he asked why I looked like I hurt all over. After I told him he muttered something about me being careless and too young to do this sort of thing.

Honestly, Big Brother never changes, does he?

* * *

**Rocket**

So. Collecting resources isn't really as interesting as I'd thought it would be. I mean, mostly I was just idling there staring at the back of the two farm kids (I've got 'em logged down as 'Pure' and 'Melina'. I wonder if they're common names on the overworld) as they dug around for stuff and argued about the quality of whatever it was they dug up. The other bodyguards seemed used to this sort of thing by now – the redhead just chewed on a straw and made the occasional remark about how the stuff they were harvesting smelled really bad.

Later on Melina passed some of the plants they'd taken for me to carry, and I analysed it while we were on our way out. I don't have anything to smell it with, so I took their word for it about the smell, but I'll tell you the sap of the thing was pretty sticky. Needed to clean my fingers off when we returned to Armoroad.

When Rossa came back from her own mission I noticed she looked rather badly in need of maintenance, and she quickly went into her recharge cycle (I believe humans call it a 'nap') after a short conversation with her brother. Afterwards I had hoped to return to the book she'd picked out for me yesterday, but I was challenged to a duel by the female with the twin swords.

I don't think she anticipated me launching my leftt arm at her from across the courtyard, but she got over that initial blow quickly. I really need to find a way to install a return device on that thing, because after that I was left trying to fend off blows with only one arm.

Yeah, I lost. It was a good learning experience, though.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 19th of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

We made significant progress within the Abyssal Shrine today, as always, coupled with increasing dangers, both from the beings that roam the place and the traps created as part of the very building, such as a series of pitfalls. We identified at least three and fell through one. It's been hard going, that much is certain. Oddly enough, we have not run into any of Armoroad's Corps recently. Whether they found a different route from us or have run into roadblocks impeding their further progress, I cannot say.

We ran into several cursed suits of armour during our assault, apparently haunted by souls of those who have fallen in battle before. Naturally Clay took to smashing these things with abandon, although both Master Geoffrey and Sidney appeared uneasy about destroying them. In any event, at one point, my attempt to stab one of the cursed knights with a lightning-imbued blow resulted in an unexpected backwash, forcing me to defend myself from the effects of my own attack. I was able to escape any serious injury by diverting the blast of lightning, almost by instinct. I believe that refining and improving this ability would be useful for future engagements.

In any case, it's become obvious that his Majesty has been avoiding me. I suppose I'll have to assume that he's found out everything. I know I'll need to talk with him about this somewhere down the line, and soon.

* * *

**Clay**

What kind of fuckhead builds a temples with floors that open up on you when you're walking above them. Took a nasty one to the knee when I landed, and if it hadn't been for Geoffrey looking over it I'm not sure how much use I would've been for the fights afterwards.

In any case, we fought some pieces of living armour or whatever today. Gave me a good chance to try tactics where I go for their arms. It worked pretty well, if I say so myself. Guess I'll have something to try out the next time we run into more of the fishmen down in the depths.

* * *

**Yamato**

Met with that whelp Kujura today. Apparently he's a bit of a request to make of the Paragon Guild. You could tell he didn't much like having to come to us in secret for it, but as always he'll do the duty assigned him.

In any case, he wants us to seek out a certain flower that apparently only grows within the Abyssal Shrine's walls. The reason he requires the aid of the Paragon Guild is because he feels certain that the Deep City would move to stop Armoroad's Corps should they make a move for this plant, but he believes that the Paragon Guild can move without attracting undue attention.

I'll bring this matter up with Jules and see what he thinks.


	89. Grey Nights

Entry Eighty Nine

* * *

**Jared**

Relena's been quiet the past couple of days. Can't blame her for that, really. Went we went into the Judge's Office the other day we received a few stares, but I'm not sure Relena even noticed. Her face was almost entirely impassive, except for her eyes which kept darting nervously back and forth.

Clay spent a lot of her time there glaring at anyone who looked at her for a couple seconds. At least that's how I remember it. Gotta admit I wasn't paying too much attention beyond a certain point – I was mostly concerned about Relena.

Eventually she got called in and I was told to wait outside. There wasn't much else for me to do except sit there and exchange glances with Clay, who I could tell was worried, despite her constantly annoyed demeanour. The walls to the inner office were pretty thick so I couldn't hear much even if I'd tried, but I'm pretty sure I heard yelling a couple of times.

Anyway, about an hour later Relena marched out, her face black, and we basically followed her back to port without any of us saying anything. Of course at that point in time Rook had brought the rest of the gang out to deal with some sort of monster in the Dark Forest so we just found a tavern that served cheap ale and just mostly pissed away the afternoon.

Still don't know much about what went down that day. Relena's been spending a lot of time in the Labyrinth ever since we returned to Armoroad, mostly to blow off steam, I guess. I guess I'll need to coax the story out of her slowly. Maybe a nice quiet dinner and a couple of steaming mugs of hot chocolate?

* * *

**Jules**

Alexis still hasn't mentioned anything about the war that's going on right now between the Holy Empire and the Western Shelf. She _has_ to know about it – she receives constant updates back from Renais. Then again, I receive constant updates from Renais too and none of my siblings have so much as mentioned anything about tensions with foreign nations.

If it weren't for Lady Juliana inadvertently mentioning it (and I'm pretty sure she still doesn't know I'm a Renaitian prince) I'd have no idea any of this is going on. I can't get any updates out of her either, since she's been holed up in her room almost constantly ever since the news dropped. I understand from Zack that she's been contemplating taking her leave of the Guild and returning home with all speed.

To be honest, I've been considering doing that too. Just… shutting the Guild down and heading back home. The Empire… well, to be honest, it may not _need_ me, but I don't feel right sitting out here while we go to war – possibly the biggest one in a very long while.

Ha. Now's the sort of time where I'd normally go to Alexis for advice. But I can't very well do that now, can I? Not unless I breach the whole subject of her keeping this a secret from me, and… and I don't know how to do that. Not with Alexis.

I get the feeling she's avoiding me anyway.

Checked the Labyrinth schedule, and I got myself onto the team that's going in tomorrow. I could use the distraction of killing things for a while.

* * *

**Midori**

I was supposed to meet Rook and Miko for a training session this morning, but Rook didn't show up. After a while we went to check up on what was wrong, and it turned out he was feeling feverish and looking rather pale.

I got Master Geoffrey to come over and take a look at him, and as he examined Rook his expression got really serious and grave. Later they brought him to the hospital with strict round-the-clock care. Master Geoffrey's in there right now as I type this.

Apparently that Manticore creature he'd fought a couple days ago had hit him with some kind of delayed poison that was only now starting to take effect. We had the others checked – Zeetha tested positive but in her case it hadn't bloomed yet so it was pretty easy to shut down. Wish I could say the same for Rook. When I went and visited him he was asleep, so I just sat at this side for an hour or so.

Miko appeared more curious than anything about the whole affair. She must have seen people wounded before on the battlefield, right? I tried asking her about it, but she shook her head and admitted that she'd never dealt much with that sort of thing, assuming it to be left mostly for the medics. I wonder if she'd ever seen any of her friends end up incapacitated like Rook is.

I wonder if she'd ever had any friends.

I still had that duel with Miko, but my heart wasn't in it. I guess she could tell, because she cut the fight short even though she was beating me handily, and went off after telling me that being able to focus even in bad situations is vital for a warrior.

Damn, everything's a mess right now.

* * *

**Adrian**

Is it just me, or has the atmosphere in the Guild gotten a little more depressing? I'm not going to claim I pay a lot of attention to these sort of things or anything, but some things look like they've got a lot of people down recently.


	90. Wounds

Entry Ninety

* * *

**Jules**

I guess I've been taking the Labyrinth a bit too lightly recently. Maybe I really _did_ need a reminder not to be so careless about my duties.

I just wish the reminder hadn't come in the form of me getting mangled by one of those savage beasts the Deep Ones apparently kept locked up in the Shrine. Apparently they saw fit to let this one roam free for… whatever reason.

We didn't get much warning – for something so big it can sure move quietly when it wants. We were walking down one of those endless dark corridors on a quest to retrieve some sort of flower (at Kujura's behest, naturally) when it leapt at us from the shadows, landing hard enough to make the ground rumble and make us lose our footing.

After that, the battle was joined in earnest, with Sir Yamato and Zack moving up to cover the front quickly. The size of the beast made physical attacks rather ineffective, but between the five of us, we were able to wear the beast down.

And then I got careless and the creature seized me in its jaws. Fortunately, doing so exposed its throat, which Sidney put a bolt through. I was unconscious at this point, but according to Yamato and Zack the Deep Ones had been waiting in ambush and once the beast was defeated they emerged to do battle. They were only repulsed after a squad of Armoroad's soldiers appeared to help us drive them off. Whether or not this is a coincidence, I can't really say.

In any case, I can't actually get up for the next couple of days and

(X)

I

I am honestly not sure what to make of what just happened.

Alexis came in while I was writing. I thought she was going to attack me or something, she was so agitated. I'd braced myself for the usual lecture on how careless and irresponsible I had been to allow myself to get injured again, but instead, she remained quiet throughout.

After a long moment, she shook her head, turned, and walked away. And I'm not sure, but I could have sworn that her eyes were red. I don't know if she was frustrated, scared, angry or what. All I know is that I've never seen Alexis behave like this before.

I also had a couple of other visitors from the Guild, mostly to wish me well and a speedy recovery. I must admit I didn't think they cared enough to do that sort of thing.

* * *

**Midori**

Rook hasn't been showing much signs of recovery. Master Geoffrey's been looking after him around the clock, and he just now told me that I should probably get some rest as well. I told him it was fine – I've had worse in terms of endurance trainings.

I wasn't expecting Miko to show up as well, though, and I got the definite impression that she wasn't too sure what she was doing there herself. She spent a couple of hours sitting there staring at Rook. (Good thing he was sleeping, or else he'd probably have been a little freaked out.)

Later when I headed out to buy lunch, Miko followed me, asking me what the purpose of the previous exercise had been. I don't know how to answer that sort of thing, so I just shrugged and told her that it was because I wanted to be close by to Rook in case he needed me. I also told Miko that she didn't need to stick around if she didn't want to.

I thought she'd taken that advice to heart because after lunch Miko was no longer there. But when the sun was setting she showed up again, after apparently having just finished her afternoon's training session.

She's still sitting there as I write this. I guess it's kind of nice to have someone here. Even if she doesn't really talk all that much.

* * *

**Sidney**

Monsters Defeated: Freed Savage x1, Deep Raider x3, Deep Maiden x2, Deep Marine x2

Items Collected: Curved Horn x1, Damascus Edge x1, Castor's Eye x2, Wheel Blade x1

Wow. Today sure took a lot out of us, first we fought off one of those giant monsters that roam the Shrine (I dealt the killing blow by the way), and immediately after that we were attacked by a Deep One task force. Luckily Armoroad forces happened to be in the vicinity to help us fight them off, but Jules got too wounded by the giant monster and we had to pull back. Jules' wounds were really pretty bad, but apparently they succeeded in treating him.

So we didn't get to our objective either, which was apparently some flower that grows in the deeper chambers of the shrine. I wonder what Kujura wanted with that flower. Oh well, I guess we can try again to get it tomorrow. Or something.

When I got back Adrian had apparently left to do a bit of training in the Labyrinth. Pure was in the inn's reception, looking a bit worse for the wear. Apparently he'd run into an Abyssal Death while gathering algae in the 2nd Stratum, and Rocket still isn't a good enough bodyguard to protect him from harm. As for the other Yggdroid… um, AL1 or something, there was apparently a programming glitch with her which caused her to lock up several times during the fight, which was the main reason Pure looked so beat up.

It's been slow going all around, lately.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 21th of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

Damn it all, Jules. I can't turn away from you for _one_ accursed second without you going off and getting so badly wounded you needed three straight hours of people stuffing you with medicinal herbs and spells and

I couldn't say anything when I saw him. He's probably still angry at me over the whole coverup about the war, and it's not like I can talk about it now. But he looked… so frail and vulnerable on that bed all covered up in bandages.

Melina just came in to ask about the preparations for his Majesty's birthday party. I'd honestly forgotten all about that. It's in two days, isn't it? He might not even be able to attend, in his current physical condition.

I'm getting worked up just sitting here and writing all this. I don't know if Scraps can sense my anxiety or he just wants attention but he keeps walking over and nudging me.

As much as I hate to admit it, I don't know what to do right now.

* * *

**Juliana**

I guess I've finally figured out what I have to do.

Father, I'm sorry. But this is for the best. I know it is.


	91. Preparations III

Entry Ninety One

* * *

**Jared**

Relena's still in a foul mood from whatever it was that happened during our trip to Sheba. And she still doesn't want to talk to me about it. Man, I knew enough to not ask her too much about her life before she met me, but now it's getting a bit ridiculous.

Anyway, I suggested a bit of a sailing trip – thought it'd get her to take her mind of things more. This one was supposed to be one of the longer trips, but I didn't think we'd need to bring anyone along. We've gone on these kind of trips before, and we never had much trouble with just the two of us.

Figured we'd head northwards. The Mutt can make its own way through the coral reefs easily enough, and we've never actually been there ourselves.

It'll take a while, though. I left a message for Alexis and Jules not to wait up for us. I'll probably miss the fancy royal party they're planning on throwing, but I can live with that.

* * *

**Geoffrey**

Thought for the Day: Not all treasure is jewels and gold.

Alexis seemed unusually quiet today.

It can be surmised that she is worried about Jules condition.

Preparations for his birthday celebration continue as planned.

Rook is stable, but cannot be said to be improving.

Rossa appears to be taking an interest in caring for me.

I gave her advice and such encouragement as I believe would help her.

Also received a request from my latest visit to the tavern.

Apparently treasures that were located within the Abyssal Shrine are of great value to collectors.

Was requested to help a collector locate some.

I'll see what I can do.

* * *

**Pure**

Today's Profit: 0 en

Didn't go down into the Labyrinth today, so nothing much in terms of stuff to sell. _Instead_, I got roped into helping them set up the hall they rented out for Jules' party.

Most of the work was less strenuous than what I deal with in the Labyrinth on a daily basis, mostly hanging up stuff, setting up tables and chairs and whatnot. At first I was kinda confused about why we needed so much space when we only had around twenty five people in the Guild. (And I don't think everyone is coming anyway.) But then Sidney admitted that a few of the nobles wanted to attend the party of a bona fide hero of Armoroad (had to hold back a bit of a snort at that one) and then Rossa let it slip that she'd asked some of the people from the Deep City to come along too.

Well, sounds like fun times for all ahead.

On the way back, Adrian got it into her head that she wanted to head down to the beach and collect seashells for some strange reason. I hung around and watched her look through a few of them, but the light was fading fast, so we had to head back. I asked her what she wanted the seashells for, but she just grinned and told me that I'd see in good time.

* * *

**Melina**

Well, we've got all the food stocked up and ready to begin cooking them tomorrow. There was a bit of a scare when I realized there'd be a lot more people showing up than I originally thought, but Sidney had taken care of things, and I guess she'd know more about what the upper crust like to eat. (For one, she'd ordered a ridiculous amount of alcohol.)

The decorations I'd ordered from Ms. Edie arrived early as well, and I got some of our Guildmembers to help with setting the decorations. Pure complained as usual, but he did his work well enough. When I did a look through later I couldn't find any real evidence of corner cutting, so I guess that's progress from when we first met.

I was a little surprised when Ms. Edie herself showed up. She claimed she was just there to watch, but I think she was trying to sell others on how good the stuff we were using was.

Didn't get a chance to go collect materials from the Labyrinth today, though. Oh well, I'll make it up later.

* * *

**Rook**

Oof. I haven't felt this bad ever since I accidentally took a swig of the house special rum they serve down in Batavia's Crossbones Bar. Come to think of it, at least everyone acknowledges the manticore's poison is _supposed_ to be deadly.

Anyway, haven't been able to do much ever since I woke up properly this morning. Apparently I've been delirious the past couple of days according to Midori. 'Course, first thing I did was ask about whether they were taking good care of the St. Eris, and Midori assured me they were. Then I had to ask her what exactly she meant by 'taking good care' and she showed me the itemized list of things she'd made sure the dock workers were doing.

Up until that point, I guess I must've wondered a little about whether or not she was paying attention everytime I got into rambling about my ship. Well, that set my heart at ease a little and she advised me to rest. I did, but not before noticing Miko was also in the room, sitting with her back straight.

When I woke up later and started on dinner (and writing this as well) she was gone. I kinda thought about asking Midori about it, but then I figured it must have just been Miko's way of being nice. So yay for her, I guess.

* * *

**Yamato**

I led a team into the Shrine again early this morning in hopes of retrieving the Amarantos flower that Kujura had asked me to. Atahualpa and Zeetha brought up the rear, while Clay and Rocket flanked me in battle.

Deep One presence was thicker than anticipated, but not to the extent that we had much trouble fending them off. Finally we returned to the chamber that he'd indicated we should head to, only without running into another of those savage giants from yesterday. Once inside the chamber we spread out in order to hasten our search (which resulted in a nasty surprise for Atahualpa as one of the statues in the area grinded to life and attempted to assault him.)

Unfortunately, we discovered a spot in the far end of the chamber that had recently been dug up. With no other sign of the flower, I came to the conclusion that it had been recently taken by some other entity, perhaps members of the Deep City.

It was at this point that the Yggdroid appeared to volunteer his usefulness, claiming that if we took back the soil samples, he might be able to track where the flower is. I know not what sorcery he possesses that would make such a feat possible, but I don't think I have anything to lose. In any case, I'd best report to Kujura that the flower is out of our reach for the time being.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 22nd of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

Well, the present I'd ordered for his Majesty has just arrived, so I believe I'm adequately prepared on that front. Presenting it to him will be another matter entirely, of course.

The latest report from Geoffrey indicates that his Majesty should have recovered enough to attend his celebration tomorrow, although his Majesty is strictly forbidden from any strenuous activites whatsoever (such as dancing, which Geoffrey specifically pointed out).

I still haven't plucked up the courage to face his Majesty ever since yesterday, and, if I'm to be honest, ever since he found out I've been keeping the war from him. This is ridiculous. This is sort of thing that giggling women on the market worry about, not a knight of Holy Renais like me.

At least, that's what I keep telling myself.

* * *

**Jules**

A birthday celebration in my honour tomorrow. All in all, I'd really rather not attend, but if I didn't Alexis would never let up about the proper protocols demanded of my station.

It's funny how used I've gotten to receiving these sort of lectures from her.

In any case, at least my attendance there tomorrow will give me a decent audience for the announcement I intend to make. First things first, though. I've got to find Juliana and have a long talk with her.


	92. A New Resolution

Entry Ninety Two

* * *

**Jared**

Well I'll be blowed. Who'd thought I'd run into Ace all the way out here? And with this own ship, too! Apparently the little stunt back in Batavia earned him enough clout and cash to start his own adventuring gig.

He was as surprised to see me as I was him, so we spent a while catching up. Relena spent her time going through the logs meanwhile. I guess she didn't want to talk to other people right now. She'll really need something to get out of her funk soon.

Anyway, turns out Ace wasn't this far north just for a sightseeing trip. The old Damavand story about the Guardian Dragon's piqued his interest, and according to him the seal on the thing's weakened enough that it's starting to make life miserable for the folks living there, so he's going to answer the call to put a stop to it. Never saw any good of relying on magic monsters to ensure your own lot, myself.

I gotta admit, I didn't feel quite safe with Ace and Mau Mau and what's-his-name going off to fight the dragon on their own. Guess that's why I offered to come along. When Relena heard about it she merely sighed and rolled her eyes but didn't voice any objection, so I guess that's that.

We should reach Damavand early tomorrow morning. Navigating the currents around here can be a right pain in the ass.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 23rd of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

To be honest, I'm somewhat shocked at his Majesty's recent announcement. I hadn't expected such a decisive action on his part, and I must confess that I harbour doubts about the effectiveness of such a scheme.

The party had initially begun as planned, with his Majesty in attendance but not participating in most of the revelries. I have to commend Melina and Sidney for her work in setting up the place. I did notice the Lady Juliana spending a lot of time at his side, but at that time I did not think anything unusual about it.

Therefore it was much to my surprise when he took the stage, still in some obvious pain but determined to make a statement regardless. I took me several long seconds to notice that the Lady Juliana was standing by his side. After relative silence had fallen, his Majesty explained how he, as a representative of the Holy Empire and Lady Juliana, as a representative of Stagarad and the Western Shelf, would be conquering the Labyrinth together, as a sign of solidarity between the two nations.

I'm not sure people in Armoroad understand the implications of such an act, being as far removed from both the Holy Empire and the Western Shelf as they are, but they appeared supportive enough to applaud and cheer in any case.

I had a private talk with his Majesty later, where I gave voice to my concern about the effectiveness of such a course of action, given that the two nations are already embroiled in open war. He had the good graces to ignore the fact that I've been deliberately keeping him out of the loop, a fact for which I am grateful. Meanwhile, he acknowledged the sketchiness of his current plan, but also pointed out that it was hardly like he could be any more use anywhere else.

He also paused before telling me that if I wished, I could return to the capital to rejoin the armies and serve on the front line, although the expression on his face made it clear he knew what my answer was going to be before I gave it.

We slipped away from the party as it was winding down and spent the rest of the night at the beach, drinking and chatting about our childhood memories. The sun is peeking over the horizon as I write this, and I really should be getting to bed.

* * *

**Zack**

Huh. Well that was an unexpected announcement from Lady Juliana. I'm not sure about all the details and how it's going to work in the future, but hey, at least she appears to have gotten out of her moodiness. That's the decisive, self-assured Lady Juliana I know.

Wooster was all over himself praising Lady Juliana for her decision and I think she seemed quite flustered by it. Oh well, it's not anything she's not used to and after I made a quick check with her about any changes in my future work schedule (none), I got down to the business of toasting her and Jules.

On the note of eating and drinking, I really need to ask Melina where she picked up those cakes. They're _delicious_.

* * *

**Rook**

Woke up today to see Midori curled up in one of chairs beside me, sound asleep. Her dinner was on the bedside table, apparently untouched.

Turns out she'd sent Miko off to the birthday party for the Prince (apparently she thought getting introduced to this sort of thing would be good for the girl) and then decided to take a nap at my bedside after a while. After asking her why she cared so much, she chuckled and joked that if I didn't recover soon, she was going to be out one sparring partner.

I think it was a joke.

At any rate, I'm starting to feel better. Tomorrow, day after at the latest, I want to head out again.

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Slightly confused.

Well, that was some announcement Jules made there. I'm not sure what the deeper implications of the whole thing are, but Master seemed rather concerned about the whole thing. I guess if I need to know more I can ask him.

Later I found Sidney, dressed up in some poofy _thing_ that didn't suit her at all. I mentioned as much and she indicated some people who I guess were her parents. Apparently that's the sort of thing nobility wears to a prince's birthday party.

I couldn't find Pure at the party so I figured he'd gotten bored and left. Later I found out that he'd eaten something that disagreed with him rather violently and as of right now he's in his room at the inn. Aheh. Maybe he could use a back rub?

* * *

**Jules**

It's strange. I know on an objective level that what I do here probably won't have much effect on the larger scheme of things, but at least I have a purpose and a goal I can work wholeheartedly towards again.

The talk with Juliana had been rather long and somewhat frustrating, but we were able to come to an agreement in the end. I'd thought about involving Alexis in the debate, but I guess she'd want me to make my own decisions as a prince.

And as for Alexis' personal taboo on mentioning the war to me, it's more or less gone now. I won't press her about her keeping it a secret from me – she did it in my best interests and I guess I had time to deal with the whole thing by now. But I did make it clear to her that I want news from now on.

That aside, we mostly spent a quiet night together after we managed to leave the party (and I don't think anybody noticed or cared). We'll be back to exploring and fighting monsters tomorrow. But for now, we can rest.


	93. Vs Ruin Caller, the Sealed Guardian

Entry Ninety Three

* * *

**Jared**

Ha! Ain't no sacred monster gonna be any match for us!

Have to say we cut it pretty close, though. They really won't kidding about the seal breaking down and all that – by the time we got there the dragon was about ready to bust out of the mountain temple they kept it inb so there wasn't really much time for preparing or strategy or anything like that.

The thing about the dragon – I hear the locals call it the Ruin Caller – is that it regenerates its wounds. Real quick, too. Relena lopped off one of its three heads and it wasn't a minute before another one had formed, ready to keep up the fight. So I guess killing it's enough of a bugbear that they just preferred to keep a lid on the thing in their temple.

Anyway, Ace moved up front quickly so I guess I felt obliged his match his movements. Got my gun and started banging away at the three heads – I figured I'd keep them off Ace and his buddies while they could find some vital organs or whatever to stab. Of course it's odd to say that the heads weren't considered vital organs, but given that cutting them off seemed mostly to annoy it I guess it was a fair bet.

Anyways, after the dragon thing figured that we were the only ones attacking it – aside from the dude who was supposed to seal the thing away after we'd succeeded in knocking it around a bit – think his name was Tor-something – it turned its focus towards us. Somehow I wasn't too surprised when it starting hurling lightning and fire and ice and us – you hear all those myths about how dragons represent those three elements quickly enough. In between all three heads being able to attack on their own and the giant body just stomping around, we were getting pretty worn down – it's just a good thing I always carried a stock of medicines with me on the Mutt.

I think Mau Mau got hit for a loop near the end – I wasn't able to pay much attention but Ace turned and ran towards her, which wasn't the best of things considering that the dragon was looking pretty angry right then.

I'd like to claim that it was skill and daring, but at the end of the day it was just luck that got me to shoot a vital spot, causing it to collapse. At that moment the astrologer guy ran up and cast some kind of spell that slowly forced the monster back into the shrine.

Well that was a decent blooding for Ace's crew, assuming you don't count the fish swarm in Batavia. I scooped up a few bits and pieces I thought could be hawked off for some cash. At this point I've been away from the rest of the Guild for over three days. I guess I should head back and check up on how they're doing.

Relena seems to be in a better mood too. Maybe she just needed to take it all out on something tough.

* * *

**Yamato**

Kujura has really been testing my patience lately. He insists on speaking to me instead of the actual leader of the Guild, apparently in the mistaken belief that I, as a former General of Armoroad, would be more amenable to his demands than the prince.

In any case, our failure to find the Amarantos flower has seriously upset him. When first we delivered the report to him he conceded with a sigh that he'd best assign more of his men to tracking down the bloom, mumbling all the while that it had best not have been destroyed yet. Today he urged me in rather harsh terms to continue tracking down the flower.

This Amarantos… for it to be found within the shrine would mean that it was an artefact of Armoroad in the days before the Calamity. Perhaps more can be discovered about it if I ask those two researchers for aid. Meanwhile, I should check up on the construct and how far he's come in analysing the soil around the Amarantos.

* * *

**Jules**

I think we made some decent progress today. At any rate we were able to make our way through the chamber that Master Yamato left off on the last visit. More of the Deep Ones appeared, of course, some toting new skills that we'd yet to encounter before. I believe Asmodeus complained of one of them draining his magic as the fight progressed.

Also, giant sauropods. Most of those we found ignored us, but one decided that we looked like a decent meal. Its size made dealing it a fatal blow difficult, but we managed it in the end. As we were walking away from the corpse Sidney idly wondered why there would be giant beasts like this wandering around an ancient buried shrine. None of us had an answer to give to that, of course.

Further on we encountered more of the trap doors that so inconvenienced us earlier, but this time they appeared to form more of an elaborate maze. At this point we decided to turn back for the day.

More unsettlingly, we discovered a slain soldier in the depths of the shrine. The armour it bore was clearly not that of Armoroad's soldier corps, and after a brief investigation we found the emblem of the Deep City on its armour.

So now we know the Deep City are moving within the Shrine too. I guess they have some plan in mind.

Right, Guild finances. I haven't handled these for what feels like forever.

Expenses, Supplies: 423 en

Expenses, Equipment: 1370 en

Expenses, Misc. : 334 en

Income, Labyrinth Goods: 701 en

Income, Sea Goods: 531 en

Income, Misc: 21 en

Total Profit: - 854 en

Total Current Funds: 23, 456 en

* * *

**Rook**

Felt well enough today to head down to the port to check up on the St. Eris. It was around evening by then, if I recall, and I got there just in time to see Jared stepping off the gangplank. We got to chatting and I learnt that while I was on bedrest and invalid he and Relena went to go take down Damavand's dragon.

Midori came up with Relena at the time so we decided to all go get something to eat together after I'd finished looking over the St. Eris. Mueller's men had done good work, as usual. Maybe I should go on a trip soon, clear my head, feel the sea breeze, all that.


	94. On The Brink

Entry Ninety Four

* * *

**Midori**

Ow. Whoever built all these trapdoors all over the Shrine can probably rest easy knowing that I've bruised every bone in my body by this point.

On the plus side, we managed to figure out the way past the gates and pitfalls of the south-east corner of the fifteenth floor. Turns out there's a special with a switch meant for that sort of thing. In any case, we now have a way to access the bottom-most floor of the Shrine.

Not a moment too soon, too. Our return to Armoroad today was marked by some bad news – namely that there's been a massive increase in activity amongst the Armoroad Corps. When Rossa and Asmodeus got back from their visit to the Deep City (Asmodeus with a few scrolls he'd shoved into his robes), they said that the Deep City's army was moving out in force too, and that they had been barred from entry into the Deep Library from that point on. (Hence the scrolls. Alexis pointed out that this wasn't really dealing in good faith with the Deep City, but she seemed too distracted to care much. The rest of us let it pass without comment.)

I guess I'll turn in early today. I'm going to ache all over tomorrow, though.

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Worried

The Deep Ones were really out in force today – nothing we couldn't handle, though. Master looked a little worried today and when I asked him about it, he said that something about the movements of the Deep Ones troubled him. It was like they were protecting something or someone.

Well, that should have been obvious, shouldn't it? I mean, they didn't want us to reach the bottom of the shrine and… well, whatever it is that's waiting down there for us. But now that Master mentioned it, the actual path to the lower level seemed pretty clear. What else could they have down there we don't know about?

Man, I'm really not used to thinking about this sort of thing. I guess back when Master was training me I kinda got used to the idea of things being straightforward. Simplicity and peace and repetition, all that, you know? I guess it's still kinda that way for me – I'm not making the big decisions, after all. But still, talking to others who are worried about what the future's gonna bring makes me kinda antsy about it myself.

Also, we got news that Armoroad and the Deep City are gearing up for one big push to end all pushes. Didn't see Jules or Alexis around at the time – if I had to guess, they were holed up in their office discussing all the ways things could end up becoming even worse for them.

* * *

**Zack**

I don't think I'm _ever_ gonna get used to fighting the Deep Ones. That they look like freaky fish people is bad enough, but then there's the way they fight. Perfect silence. No war cries, no screaming, no nothing. Even when we cut them there's never any grunts of pain or anything. They just keep fighting until they're lying on the floor in a pile of their own guts.

Lady Juliana appeared to be in pretty high spirits, though. I guess the thought of finding her way past all those traps that had stymied Jules yesterday was good for her mood. To be honest, I'd wondered if that talk with Jules would have convinced her to take more of an interest in the political side of things, but she appears to be just as oblivious as ever.

Well, I guess that's fine. I'd feel a little odd if she just changed to be serious and calculating out of the blue. Not that Jules is really all that much like that either, I guess.

I feel like taking another sea trip, actually.

* * *

**Rocket**

Aw _**RIGHT**_ I've managed to figure out how to track down the Amarantos flower that everyone's so overheated about. To be honest, I'm not sure why Armoroad wants it so much – apparently it's incredibly poisonous to humans. Maybe the Deep City might have known more about it, but my memory banks were wiped when I was given to the Twinkling Tavern's service.

Oh well, maybe the princess just thinks the flower is pretty.

Rossa came back depressed today. Apparently the Deep City's gotten mad enough to shut outsiders out of their Library. Worse for her, since it was one of the few times she'd gone alongside her brother to research something. Asmodeus was his usual taciturn self, although he excused himself to his room shortly after coming back.

Either way, gotta end this record and deliver the report to Alexis. They'll probably want to go pick up the flower soon.

* * *

**Asmodeus**

It is fortunate that I was able to retrieve several of the older scrolls from the Deep Library before they barred us from any further entry. I can only attribute their current lack of security to the fact that the majority of the Deep City's security appears to have headed for the Labyrinth proper. Only the Divine knows what exactly they're up to down there, but that, I believe, is an issue for a later date.

In any case, this last set of scrolls appear to be of particular significance. The translation of them has been somewhat spotty so far (and having to rely on Rossa for such matter has not been pleasant) but it appears to talk about some sort of 'offering'. Strangely, this 'offering' apparently descended from the heavens – most traditional tales would have the offerings being given by mortals to the gods above.

In any case, this should be a most interesting subject for further study.

Horoscope: The last is within our very grasp.


	95. This and That XIII

Entry Ninety Five

* * *

**Jules**

Rocket came to me early this morning (just a little too early for me to get a good breakfast, as it turned out) talking something about tracking down that flower that Kujura wanted us to find before. Apparently he's gotten his hands on a way to track down the flower.

To be honest, I don't think even Kujura would care about one flower at this point. The forces of Armoroad Corps are crawling all over the Labyrinth now. I guess I should just be glad that they haven't run into many Deep City men, so there haven't been anything more serious than brief skirmishes with minimal casualties. Small mercies. There's no way to prevent the whole thing from blowing up even worse, though, or at least not a way I can see.

In any case, I didn't venture into the Labyrinth today, but Adrian brought a group down for some training, and according to her there are even more Deep Ones flooding the Shrine now. After hearing this news Alexis went back to her maps and is now trying to plan the shortest route possible to the bottom floor of the Shrine.

That should be where all the answers we're looking for are.

I think.

I hope.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 26th of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth year of the Holy Empire

With the increased activity of the Armoroad Corps, I've heard rumours that the plan to shut down access to the Labyrinth – at least for the majority of the Guilds. I'm not too keen on discovering if we'd fall under that category should this come to pass, but I'll need that information to plan out what we're going to do in the coming days.

In the short run, we've spent today gearing up for a big push tomorrow. The bottom floor of the Shrine is supposed to hold a large number of sacred treasures. It's possible that reaching the bottom of the Abyssal Shrine will mark the end of our journey… but I doubt it. There's something we're missing here, and I cannot shake the feeling that this something is of extreme significance.

I visited Napier's Firm in the early afternoon, mostly to check if the proprietor had managed to create any new equipment that I could use. It may have just been my imagination, but she appeared more distracted than I'd come to expect of her – especially when transfer of money is involved. She didn't appear to wish to discuss matters with me, so I left after purchasing a new set of armour. It's a little lighter than my current garb without sacrificing any defence, so it should serve me well.

Return to my room brought with it the unfortunate discovery that Scraps has started shedding. I really must remember to thank his Majesty for such a thoughtful gift.

* * *

**Sidney**

Whew. Busy day today. Spent the morning and early afternoon in the Shrine, and we ended up getting swamped with Deep Ones. I nearly ended up with a spear in the gut at one point, and if it hadn't been for Master Geoffrey I don't we'd have all been able to walk out of there under our own volition. As it is I wanted to bury my head in a pillow and sleep the night away once I got out of there.

No such luck, of course. I got called for a tea party that mom and dad were hosting. It wasn't much worth talking about – I mostly sat there and listened to various merchant types complain that the mobilization of the Armoroad Corps would lead to severe declines in trade and all that sort of thing. Of course a few of them brought kids along and naturally they were all over me asking what exploring the Labyrinth was like. I'm not going to say I particularly mind entertaining the children but some of them (I'm [i]not[/i] going to name names) can be right monsters.

Finally stumbled out of there and started heading back to Guild HQ well after sundown. Adrian and Pure were waiting for me at the entrance. We didn't say anything – just headed down to the Drowned Crocodile and ordered half the meat dishes they had on the menu.

It's good to have friends.

* * *

**Clay**

Jared and Relena made port early this morning, apparently with the remains of some dragon monster they'd fought in the northern islands. Jared wasted no time boasting about how they'd fought off some ancient dragon and resealed it in a temple or something like that. I don't mind saying I'm a little jealous – I've spent the past few days here doing fuck all.

At least I'm getting some action tomorrow – I'm gonna be going in with Alexis and Jules to bust our way through to the bottom of the Shrine. I heard from Atahualpa today that the Deep Ones really have a fire lit under their arses, so we're definitely going to have a grand old time of it when we head down.

Man, things sure have changed. When I first ended up in this Guild, it was mostly for the sake of surrounding myself with a bunch of tough warriors who'd look out for me and keep that guy's thugs from finding me. Now, though… I'm invested as any of 'em when it comes to seeing this whole thing through.

When did _that_ happen, anyway?

* * *

**Geoffrey**

Thought for the Day: Rest for the body, rest for the soul.

The thought of endless conflict coming up is starting to wear on several of the Guild Members.

This burgeoning war between the Deep City and Armoroad will serve no one's interests in the end.

They must be able to see this. Yet they make preparations to collide with each other with all speed.

We might need some way to help keep morale up. Yet time is of the essence in such a critical juncture.

It is not often that I confess my uncertainty, but now is such a time.


	96. Pushing Forward

Entry Ninety Six

* * *

**Clay**

So. Made our way to the lowest level of the shrine today. Surprisingly, there were less of the Deep Ones up and about than I'd have thought. Maybe the Armoroad Corps were holding them off well enough or something.

That's not to say it was _easy_ or anything like that. First off, reanimated ghost armours coming at us out of nowhere. I'm not sure if they're mindless or anything, but they're certainly _skilled_. One of them managed to get my leg with his sword and it still hurts like a bitch.

Also the sound we made while 'dismantling' the lot of them drew some of the other animals over. The giant lizards we've faced before, but the weird owl things were something new. Especially since their wings had that weird powder that made all of us sleepy the instant we breathed it in. It was all Geoffrey could do to keep us on our feet as it was.

God damn, there's not going to be an easy moment in this Labyrinth, is there?

Ended up halting in front of some weird door. Alexis poking around with it didn't reveal anything we could use to open the thing, so in the end we just shrugged and headed back for the day.

Jules and Alexis kept poking around the corners and darkened places while we were down there, but I'm not sure what exactly it is that they were looking for. Well, it's not any of my business and if they're not gonna ask for help I won't stick my neck out either.

God I want a drink now.

* * *

**Atahualpa**

The owls that dwell within the lowest reaches have been well adapted to their environment. Their eyes are large to combat the dimness of the depths, and while they are not particularly swift, they are able to dazzle and waylay opponents that come before them. The battles we faced as we progressed through the area have been trying on all of us.

Upon our return to the surface, Prince Jules and Alexis immediately headed off, presumably to discuss what their findings (or more accurately, their lack of such) with others in the Guild. As for myself, I retired to the grove on the outskirts of the town, to meditate and deepen my bond with nature.

The beasts of the air and land are uneasy. Even if they cannot put words to their fear, they can tell that something stirs deep within the depths of the ocean. I wonder. What could it be that inspires such nameless dread amongst those so far removed from the ocean depths?

I wonder. Even amongst my home village we have pur tales of creatures of the deep emerging to wage war on humanity in ages long past. How much influence do these creatures truly hold?

I am afraid I have no answer.

I met Zeetha on my way back towards the inn. She appeared interested in learning more about the owls we had encountered in the bottom of the shrine, and what kind of unique ecology had allowed such creatures to thrive there. I am not sure that I could understand everything she asked me, but I answered to the best of my ability.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 27th of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

Rocket's analysis of the Amarantos' location appears to have proven correct. Someone appears to have brought it deeper into the furthest reaches of the Shrine, although the reasons for doing so are still unclear to us. We were forced to break off our explorations due to the denizens of the Shrine's lowest level proving more resilient than we had anticipated, but I cannot shake the feeling that we are running out of time.

Armoroad Corps soldiers do not appear to have made it into the bottom level of the Shrine. However, we discovered what appeared to be the corpse of a soldier form the Deep City. The wounds on his body were deep, and given the location we discovered him in, it appears likely he fell in the midst of a pitched battle with no one noticing. The question of why they would descend to the bottom of the Shrine is still an open one.

Speaking with General Yamato, he believes that the Armoroad Corps should have succeeded in clearing and holding the top two levels of the Shrine, but the masses of the Deep Ones on the third level would render attempting to force their way through in large numbers almost impossible. In that case their next option would be to insert small, skilled teams to make their way through the area while attracting minimal attention, much like what our Guild has been doing.

It did not come as much of a surprise that he believes Kujura will be involved in that particular operation.

Upon returning to the inn tonight I found his Majesty sitting before a table, the week's records spread out before him in a rather messy pile. I was glad that he had gotten conscientious enough to cover the paperwork without my having to remind him (and it's definitely a step up from when I had to do everything on my own), but at the same time I was worried about the clear exhaustion he displayed.

It may have been presumptuous of me to step in and suggest we go out for a meal together, but he accepted the invitation readily enough, and I believe he looked sufficiently relaxed when we returned.

And of course, after he retired for the night I dug out the records and went through them myself.

* * *

**Asmodeus**

I'll need to learn more about this 'Porcelain Offering' that keeps getting mentioned in the scrolls. I'm not sure who I should ask, however. Rocket claims no knowledge of such a thing, and neither did Angie when I visited earlier today.

Quite the puzzle. Perhaps a visit to the Shrine will shed more light on the matter.

Horoscope: Two roars sound from the deep.

* * *

**Midori**

Went lizard-hunting in the 3rd Stratum today alongside Rook and Miko. Sidney and Rossa decided to come along too, for whatever reason.

We targeted some of the Poison Dragons in the lowest level of the caves, and they put up less of a fight than we'd anticipated. Rook got a little antsy when the issue of their poisonous breath was brought up (I think it's just stuck with him after that brouhaha with the Manticore), but I'd stocked enough Theriacas that it wasn't an issue in the long run. (And the monster's breath was so bad anyway I thought that _was_ the poison at first.)

We took a break after hunting down our second Dragon (when Miko cut open its belly for the finishing blow we found a book stuck inside its stomach. Weird.) and we discussed some of the stuff we'd do once this whole adventure was over. I was kinda glad to see Miko talking a bit more with the others about stuff not directly related to fighting, although I'm a little concerned with her saying that she would 'simply seek out the next battlefield' after all this. Rossa was going to continue her studies, Rook said he'd head back to the open ocean…

As for myself, I just realized I don't know much about what I want to do. Back when I was in the Orochi Guild I joined mostly because I needed the cash after running away from home.

Now though… my purse is pretty full, and I haven't thought about where to go after all this.

Well, it's still a ways into the future, right? In any case, after we finished our trip down there we headed back and managed to sell of the horns we'd cut for a tidy sum.

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Excited

Yes! Almost done. Just give it another day or so and it'll be ready.

Pure came out today complaining that his hat got ruined because of some random spear thrown by one of the Deep Ones. I pointed out that that was better than having his head torn open and he muttered that they would never have gotten into such a fight if Zack had just been more careful.

I guess everything's progressing about as well as can be expected, huh.

Master came back from his own trip a tad later, and warned me about some of the dangers waiting at the bottom of the Shrine. Just as well I've been slotted for the trip tomorrow, I guess.


	97. Preparations IV

Entry Ninety Seven

* * *

**Jules**

Today has been a day of disquiet, all things considered.

Given the steady decline of events in the Shrine, we elected to make another large push today, hopefully to find the final chamber (or whatever is the equivalent) within the Shrine.

What we did discover, pretty much completely by accident, was that the Deep City's soldiers had made camp at the bottom of the Shrine. And that Olympia is apparently currently in possession of the Amarantos Flower, for whatever Goddess-forsaken reason.

I suppose a part of me is grateful she apparently didn't destroy it, since given how interested the Princess is in it, that it exists at all is good enough. But of course, that will mean Kujura is actively hunting her down for that flower.

I'd ask the Princess why she wants the flower so badly, but she was apparently indisposed during my brief visit to the Senatus. I'm starting to wonder if she's even in there anymore. Senator Flowdia told me that she was resting in the 'Porcelain Forest', although I'm not sure what exactly that is. It's certainly not any of the forests immediately surrounding Armoroad, at any rate.

More problematic is that fact that she is apparently adamant about not letting us progress any further into the Shrine.

After discussing matters with Alexis, Geoffrey and Sir Yamato, we've reluctantly begun making preparations to engage Olympia. If we can recover the flower, I suppose that will be an added bonus, but mainly we want her to stop barring our way. No chance of negotiations, I guess. At least, not after all that's happened.

Is there another path deeper into the Labyrinth after this Shrine? I don't know. I still don't know what we'll find down there. But we're in too deep already.

I've spent the better part of the evening going through all my gear and making sure I'm as prepared as possible. Tomorrow, we go to battle.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 28th of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

We encountered Olympia within the depths of the Abyssal Shrine today. There were no overt hostilities on either end, although her suspicion of our actions was clear enough. For our part, I suppose we did not appear particularly trusting of her or her motivations either.

She was flanked by several members of the Deep City's Army, so I surmised that she had broken away from the main team and was moving through the lower level of the Shrine for some particular reason. That she elected to bring the Amarantos Flower with her (and to keep it in the open where we could catch sight of it) would probably speak to her wishing to lure either the Princess or her subjects (in practice, Kujura) to that area specifically.

To be honest, I'm not sure the encounter would have went the way it did if we hadn't been fresh out of a pitched battle against several of the Deep Ones who had wondered down there. Their frontline fighters were able to tie us down long enough for one of their casters to rain several waves of icicles on us. We were therefore rather battered by the time we managed to finish them. Olympia's own soldiers also appeared to be worse for the way, all of which contributed to our impromptu truce as both parties took the time to recuperate and gather ourselves.

I'm not entirely sure how it came to be, but apparently Olympia and I found ourselves next to each other while waiting for our squadmates to recover. After a brief moment of silence, she turned to me and asked me of my relation to his Majesty (who was currently trying and failing to act like he was not in a large amount of pain).

She asked me how deep my loyalty to his Majesty was, and whether or not I would be willing to follow him wherever he went and whether or not I would lay down my own life for his. My answer was honest, I suppose, in accordance to the vows I had made before him and the Goddess all those years ago. I swore allegiance not only to the Holy Empire but to his Majesty personally, and while I would certainly die for me, part of my duties involved dissuading him from any foolish decisions he might be tempted to make.

Of course, such an arrangement would only be possible due to the close personal bond I've had with his Majesty from before I'd ever been knighted. Despite our differing goals I saw no reason to keep any of this from Olympia. She took in this information with her usual blank expression before nodding once and saying 'so that is how it is' with me and his Majesty.

We've succeeded in covering most of the available areas to us in the bottom of the Shrine. Tomorrow, we begin one last push to finish out expedition of the place. I expect Olympia will attempt to halt us. I will have to be prepared.

* * *

**Miko**

My meditation today was… unsatisfactory.

Perhaps it is because we will be engaged in battle come tomorrow. I have been selected to be amongst those who will venture into the depths of the Shrine of Armoroad. Amongst the Guild it is taken as fact that those from the Deep City will seek to bar the way.

Let them come. It has been long since my blades have had the chance to sing thus.

After dinner my nightly meditations were interrupted by Midori. I sensed she was confused about something, and in all honesty I do not believe that I was the best person to go for such matters. The long and short of it is that those from the Deep City were directly responsible for the deaths of several of those she had called friends. She'd managed to bury her feelings in the matter for a good while, but on the eve of a potential battle against them and the automaton referred to as Olympia, they were coming up again.

I had no advice to offer save for my own experience – that I had seen many comrades fall in the field of battle before, whether by the whim of fate or from a foe specifically hunting one down. Time numbs the soul, if nothing else will. She did not seem very satisfied with that, but that is all I know.

Midori is one I can consider a friend, even if tentatively. If she wishes this Olympia dead, then tomorrow I shall do my best to bring such an outcome to fruition tomorrow.

* * *

**Wooster**

That Lady Juliana has come to me with a request that I accompany the Maximillian prince to the Shrine tomorrow as a representative of Stagarad. She apparently believes that a major battle will occur tomorrow.

Well, so be it! If any from the Deep City or Armoroad wish to test our mettle, I'll show them the fortitude of a Knight of Stagarad! I've spent most of the day preparing my armour and my anti-flame wards in anticipation of the battle tomorrow, should I need it.

* * *

**Tinker**

Quiet night, eh, Dwayne? Even though the tension in the Guild's so thick you could cut it with a knife.

There's going to be a tussle tomorrow. Or at least that's what everyone is saying and since I'm going to be heading down there I think I'd be better off taking their word for it.

Spent most of today's afternoon preparing my explosive charges. I've seen the Yggdroid bodies – and if we're going to be facing Olympia, I've got to make sure that what I've got packs enough punch to bust through the metal that makes up their bodies.

Been tinkering with a shot that can punch through any defensive barriers the enemy might set up. Now that we might be fighting intelligent things, we'll need to be prepared for them putting up their own protection and charms, won't we?

Not going to let the Guild down when the fight comes tomorrow, no sir.


	98. Vs Kirin, Proud Lightningclad Beast

Entry Ninety Eight

* * *

**Jules**

Well, we're still alive, which I suppose is a point in our favour. Other than that, though, I don't think any of us five who made it down will be moving for a while.

Today was the day of our push into the Shrine's innermost chamber. We were right about finding Olympia there. It wasn't much a surprise that we also found the Abyssal King standing beside her. Apparently they were working on some sort of device found within it. As of my writing this I'm still not sure what it was – Sir Yamato will be entering the Labyrinth tomorrow alongside Rocket to hopefully be able to determine just what it is.

More pressing at the time was Olympia summoning some sort of beast to stand guard and fight us off while they continued doing whatever it is they were doing. After the battle Miko identified it as a Kirin, although why members of the Deep City would have a creature like that hanging around is a mystery to me.

In any case, we were initially caught flatfooted by its initial assault, especially since despite the fact that lightning was crackling around its skin it never actually attacked us with lightning. As a matter of fact its first attack was to breathe a circular ring of fire at us. To be honest, that didn't have much of an effect, but it put all of us on guard.

The battle was joined after that. The Kirin's assault was of a singular nature – wide-ranged attacks intended to strike at the entire team at once. It was fortunate both Alexis and Wooster were there – they were able to shield us from the brunt of the beast's attacks, whereas Miko and Tinker concentrated on bringing it down as quickly as possible.

One thing I noted, though, was that the Kirin's flame attack seemed the stronger the more it wounded it. When we had finally brought it to its last legs, its final attack before collapsing nearly sent the lot of us to our knees as well. Or, at least it would have it Alexis hadn't jumped in front of me and taken the brunt of the blow. She managed to gasp out that she was okay, but given she couldn't stand under her own power by the time we returned to Armoroad, I'm inclined to be doubtful. Geoffrey assured me that her wounds weren't anything major – certainly not as bad as the time she fought Ketos.

I guess I'll pay her a visit after I've finished dealing with Guild matters for the night.

Expenses, Supplies: 432 en

Expenses, Equipment: 29, 840 en

Expenses, Misc: 31 en

Income, Labyrinth Goods: 32, 448 en

Income, Sea Goods: 5143 en

Income, Misc: 0 en

Total Profits: 2129 en

Total Current Funds: 51, 342 en

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 29th of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

We managed to locate the deepest chamber of the shrine. Unfortunately Olympia and the Abyssal King had reached that location before us, and we were forced to battle. To be honest, I had anticipated a fight with Olympia directly, but she seemed content with summoning a guardian beast of some sort and leaving us to fight it

Well, we were forced into a retreat even though we managed to slay it, so I suppose her confidence was justified in one aspect.

I also remember Olympia briefly reacting to our entrance and stating that we were not who they had been expecting to arrive.

Geoffrey has gone through my injuries and said that he believes that I'll be able to return to the frontlines after another day or so of convalescence. I had hoped to accompany his Majesty on tomorrow's trip to finally secure the Shrine (and whatever device is down there), but I suppose it is imperative that we move quickly.

Jules came to visit me just before he turned in for the night. He told me that he most likely won't be heading down tomorrow either, and he's turned over temporary command of securing the Shrine to Sir Yamato instead. I don't foresee there being much trouble with this, but it is possible they might encounter any lingering traps left behind by Olympia once they decide to depart the place.

Then there's the matter of the Armoroad Corps. We've not seen much sign of Kujura lately within the Shrine, but there remains a high probability of him also discovering that chamber as well.

* * *

**Juliana**

Oh, goodness! Wooster came back today looking like he'd received a complete thrashing! When I inquired as to his wounds he merely stood upright and declared that any true knight could suffer beatings ten times worse than what he'd received.

Well, I took his word for it (although Zack seemed highly amused for some reason) and I've been slotted to go in tomorrow and to handle anything that Wooster couldn't manage. (Not that I believe there'll be too much of that, I suppose.) I've been asked to defer authority to that Armoroad General, though. Well, I suppose it won't grate too much for a single mission.

* * *

**Pure**

Todays's Profit: 417 en

Man. Everybody's so tensed up all the time now, rushing about trying to stop that or find this or whatever. My (and Melina's, I guess) duties are the same as ever – go in, grab stuff, come back out. Went for an ore run today, and my back hurts something awful.

Caught up with Adrian doing some stretching exercises in the town plaza before heading to bed. She's supposed to head down tomorrow to help secure the Shrine and whatever's in it, so I just wished her luck and promised to have a pitcher of strawberry juice ready for her when she came back.

She paused, smiled a little weird smile that I've never seen her make before, and told me that she'd have something to give me too tomorrow, after she came back. I'm not sure what that was about, so I just nodded and told her I'd be looking forward to it.

* * *

**Yamato**

If I know that fool Kujura he'll be making his own move soon. With any luck I'll get to Shrine's teleporter in time to prevent a disaster. It's occurred to me that perhaps I should have told Master Jules and Dame Alexis about what the device is (he appeared to not know what they were for when he reported the events of today's Labyrinth venture), but looking back on it I doubt this bit of knowledge would have changed their actions all that much, and it's a National secret anyway. In the event that the worst comes to pass then I shall tell them all I know, but until that point I'll simply have to try to limit the damage.

It's been so many years since the Calamity, but things are coming to a head at long last.

* * *

**Midori**

Miko returned looking really beat up today. I guess I should have expected Olympia and whatever guard she'd set up to be a tough fight for them. She looked pretty happy that she was able to push her to her limits, though, so good for her, I guess.

Based on what she told me, Olympia still seems pretty confident in us not being a huge threat. Damn it, I don't know what it'll be like when I finally face her. To be honest, I was wondering if they'd defeat her today and then I'd never get my chance. I don't know why I felt the slightest bit relieved at that thought.

When the time comes, I'll know what to do.


	99. Vs Shin, Lady of Mist and Illusions

Entry Ninety Nine

* * *

**Yamato**

Well, that idiot's gone and done it now.

As expected, the device at the bottom of the Shrine that Alexis and Master Jules told me about was a teleporter that led into the heart of the Porcelain Forest. With our delay, the Deep City has been allowed access into the sanctuary of Princess Gutrune.

_Why_ they would desire this is another matter entirely, but for now, we have to focus on the immediate issues.

Not that Kujura was any more helpful, in any case. Upon our arrival at the antechamber we found him already there, and he demanded we leave immediately. Our refusal to comply resulting in him summoning up Shin and commanding it to slay all of us. I suppose that his going so far as to call upon the guardian spirit shows how dangerous he believes us to be.

In any case, we prepared ourselves to fight off the thing, and after my shouted warning that it would disorient us with its mists and illusions, the Stagarad princess starting up throwing up some sort of barrier to protect us. In retrospect this certainly helped us immensely with fighting off the creature.

Suffice to say the battle was a long and drawn out one, with several casualties amongst our party of five by the time we concluded. More importantly, Kujura had apparently travelled through the teleporter and disabled it while were engaged with fighting Shin. None of us had the necessary knowhow to reactivate the system, so we were forced to pull back.

Upon our return to Armoroad, I was immediately summoned for a meeting with Master Jules and various other senior members of the Guild. The suggestion was quickly put forth that the Yggdroids we hired from the Deep City might have the knowledge needed to activate the teleporter, seeing as they are both ancient technology built from the age before the Calamity.

For the record, none of them seemed particularly happy with the fact that I had known and withheld information about what was waiting at the bottom of the Shrine, but none of them voiced any actual objections.

After the discussion, I submitted myself to Master Geoffrey for a quick check on any sustained injuries from the battle, and then retired to my room.

* * *

**Adrian**

Mood: Not sure, really. Floaty?

Not sure how to go about writing today's entry, to be honest. Well, I guess I could start with the chronological order?

When we went in to secure the chamber at the bottom of the Shrine, we ended up meeting the Kujura dude there as well. He seemed to be in a pretty bad mood, which I guess was expected since Olympia had beat him to the punch to… whatever that thing was. I later learnt that it was apparently a teleporter to some ancient Armoroad sanctuary or something. Point is, he didn't want Olympia to get there, and he wasn't too happy at us showing our face either.

Long story short, he got some monster from who-knows-where to fight us instead of him while he ran through the machine. I'm usually always up for a good fight, but she (I think it was a she) was something different. Kept spewing weird, thick mist all over the place – made it hard for us to even find her, let alone beat her up. The princess' protective spells helped against most of the mist's worst effects, but I was still pretty confused for a huge part of the fight.

Near the end, though, she reached over and grabbed hold of me and… drained me, somehow. Not sure how it worked, but some of her wounds started sealing over while I suddenly felt really tired and almost fell to my knees.

Not how I particularly wanted to end up, but I managed to drive my fist through her gut (her blood was blue. Ick.) and finish her off before collapsing myself. I was later told that Juliana was the one who picked me up like a sack of grain and got us out of the fight. Should thank her for that later.

Anyway, Master gave me a look-over after the fight, and when I explained to him about the dizzying effect the creature had on us, he went on a lecture about how I had to 'fortify my mental fortitude'.

And then he prescribed me more meditation exercises. I don't mind meditating per se, but one of the new set involves being upside down for very long periods of time. I don't really like that.

Anyway, after that I went to find Pure and I saw him in the town plaza discussing something with Melina. Didn't catch all of it, but apparently he's not happy with having been assigned more gathering timeslots than her for the next week. Typical.

After she left, I went up to him and gave him the seashell necklace I'd been working on. It was a good thing I managed to get the Red Jasper from Melina the other day – it helped complete the look, and it's supposed to bring good luck, too.

Anyway, he asked what this was about, and I told him that since he's always complaining about getting hurt in the Labyrinth, I made him this protective charm with a lot of the seashells that people used to carry with them to ward off danger and misfortune. It was a little late, what with us having gone through sixteen floors already, but it couldn't hurt, right?

After a moment, he smiled and told me thanks before bringing out that strawberry juice he'd promised me.

To be honest, it'd never tasted so good before.

* * *

**Rossa**

Big Brother's been sharing more info with me about those scrolls he'd dug up, partly because he wants my help with them.

It's complicated, really. Looking through this stuff, he's managed to draw a fairly coherent narrative of a blessing from heaven that fell a really, really long time ago. I'm not sure what it has to do with the current situation, but Big Brother thinks that comparing our current information with some of the murals found in the Abyssal Shrine would help us with figuring out more about the whole affair.

Of course, he had to come to this conclusion _after_ the Shrine starting flooding with Deep Ones all over the place.

Well, I'll be heading there soon anyway. Apparently someone at the bar got spooked about a weird room where the Statues come to life and prevent anyone from leaving, and asked others to help him solve it. I'll help Big Brother take those sketches he wanted, too.

* * *

**Alexis**

Entry Made: 30th of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundredth and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire

Well, apparently we've encountered yet another roadblock in our Labyrinth explorations. Kujura had moved to oppose us directly for the first time, although according to reports he did not do any actual fighting but 'merely' let loose a beast on us.

His Majesty and the Princess Juliana will be travelling to the Senatus tomorrow in order to ascertain and clarify matters. According to Yamato Olympia and the Deep City's soldiers will most likely be in the Porcelain Forest by now, although he doubts their progress will be swift. Apparently there are natural barriers in place to protect the sanctuary of Armoroad's highborn, although he could not elaborate further than that. I suppose this information will have to come out from the talk with Senator Flowdia, if it comes at all.


	100. Roadblocks

Entry Hundred

* * *

**Rocket**

Well, got roped into trying to figure out how this device at the bottom of the Shrine works. The area appears to be free of any Deep Ones or monsters, so at least I can work in peace.

AL1's here too, and she's been pretty helpful, although I can't really tell what she's planning and she doesn't talk enough for me to get a good feel of what she's doing. Well, she's working at her own pace, but as long as we can get this thing running in the end there'll be no complaints either way.

The place is pretty gloomy, but I think I have some images of it stored in my databanks of a time when this place was a lot more brightly lit. And crowded. With lots of people wearing fancy robes and doing funny things with candles.

I'm not sure where that image came from, to be honest. I know all of the military grade Yggdroids get equipped with a standard pack of information to better help them operate in the local environs (although given the trashed Yggdroids we had to walk past to get to this place, that might not be such a big help), but this doesn't seem like the sort of image that should have made its way in.

It's a good thing I'm designed to multitask, too –Clay is already complaining about how long we're taking to set up the teleporter – if I'd had to pause to record this entry as well she'd never let me hear the end of it.

Oh, I think I can do something with this wire.

* * *

**Rossa**

Well, we solved the mystery of the ghost statue things and we made some progress on the front of deciphering the murals as well.

As it turned out, the statues were guarding some of the murals in a back chamber of the Shrine. (Maybe we should start labelling them on the map, otherwise others might get confused.) They didn't attack us, but simply blocked our way further in. There was some kind of console there that the others didn't know what to do with, but I'd been helping Angie enough with her work to tell a mechanism of the Deep City's design. I fiddled around with it a bit and finally managed to deactivate the statues. Score one for the child prodigy!

So that was the client's request handled, and then I could get down the studying the murals properly. Most of them depicted the Deep Ones, of course, which, when you get down to it, is odd, because the first recorded instances we have of their appearance, even amongst the Deep City's records, are only from a hundred years ago – far later than the date the Shrine was built. I suppose it's possible the Deep Ones initially spawned from a time beyond living memory, but that's just a theory right now.

I also had a single image of something coming down from the skies – it could be the Porcelain Offering that Big Brother spoke off, but somehow it looks wrong. All our known cultures have traditionally associated blessings of the heavens with like – this looks a lot more dark and ominous.

And tentacley, that too.

Based on this, I'm going to need to do more research into the murals. They appear to continue further down – right where all the Deep Ones are gathering, of course. Well, I'll know to limit my search to the important-looking chambers, at least. The rest of the walls just seem to hold random designs.

* * *

**Sidney**

With the latest news about the Abyssal King venturing into the Porcelain Woods, it's pretty clear now that he's targeting Princess Gutrune directly, and that he also knows she also retreats there frequently to rest.

Damn it, this wasn't supposed to happen!

I had to explain to Adrian that the Porcelain Woods is a sanctuary used only by the royalty of Armoroad, and those they have granted special favour to. I've never been in there, of course, but the very air you breathe in there is supposed to have healing properties.

Jules and some of the others have gone to talk to the Senatus about what to do now. I guess the best case scenario is that we get access to the place as well and we can go put a stop to the Abyssal King's plans before he finds the Princess.

Why would the Abyssal King hunt down the Princess, anyway? What is he really after?

* * *

**Jules**

For the first time tonight, I thought Senator Flowdia actually looked her age. When we entered her room, she informed us that the Deep City's Corps had barricaded the main entrance to the Porcelain Forest, and that the Armoroad Guards was unable to advance in order to find and protect the Princess. Save for Kujura and any other troops that made it through the teleporter, the Princess is defenceless right now.

We had to ask the all-important question of why the Abyssal King would be targeting the Princess in the first place, and hunting her down with such fervour. Flowdia merely shook her head and said that us knowing would not help in any way. I have to admit that at this point I was at a bit of a loss as to what to do. A king and princess of two sovereign entities are locked in what appears to be open combat, and I'm not sure if we should even interfere or not.

It was at that point that Alexis spoke up and asked that if we could find our own way into the Porcelain Forest, would Armoroad still continue to bar us? Flowdia gave a tired, sort of strained laugh and told us that unless we had a seal of Armoroad's Royal Family, we would not be able to advance within the Porcelain Forest anyway.

I suppose that means that the Abyssal King must still have his Seal from when he was King of Armoroad with him.

Well, we didn't make much progress on that front, in the end. As we left, I honestly contemplated if we should wash our hands of the whole affair. The Yggdrasil Labyrinth itself has been explored – the Porcelain Forest is its own entity, and technically I can return home and claim I've fulfilled my vow (well, except the 'bring back trophies from monsters that don't actually exist' bit).

But now that I've come this far, I want to see it through to the end – somehow. I don't know how, though. None of the people in a position to help us through want to have anything more to do with us.


End file.
